Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I will just say I am well aware of the potential in Houston and do not take him with me around town if I will have to leave him for any amount of time in the day. I understand the risk.
I don't think, if you leave your pet even once unattended (which it sounds like you have) you do know the risk.
There is one risk that you, as well as every other pet owner. fails to take into consideration, and that is you having a medical emergency.
Take it from one who recently had such an emergency.
Thankfully, I was in my own yard, but a heart attack (doesn't matter what age you are) could, and will happen in the blink of an eye.
Suppose you left your pet in a car, just to pop into the local 7/11, and while in there, you suffered a heart attack.
Not only, probably good bye you, but your pet who you stupidly left in a hot car.
Think about it.
Medical emergencies happen all the time, and many of the people who have them, thought they were in the best of health.
People who abuse a pet (and leaving them in a car in the sun is definitely abuse)should never be allowed to have a pet ever again.
Bob.
1: YES i have broken a window to rescue a suffering dog before (as a vet tech i kow the signs of heat istress and this dog was about 3 minutes away from death, cops however told me they could bethere in 10 minutes...the window got broken...simple...insurance will pay for it, your dog however they cant replace.
2: yes i owuld again in a heart beat.
my usual recourse if i see a dog in a car, is the car running...yes? its the dog stressed? no, then i leave it be but kepe an eye and the first sign of stress the cops get a call...
Is the car running...no...is the dog stressed...no...then i call the cops ask for a time frame and wait close by for thier arrival
is the dog stressed?...yes? then i call the cops and tell them its an EMERGENCY and get a time frame...if the dog is in obvious distress my actions are then based o how long its going to take a police officer to arrive...if the dog is just showing early symptoms i will go into the store whos parking lot im in, have them announce over the speaker that their dog is in distress and thepolice are on their way and ask for security...if th dog is showing more advanced signs though forget it, i know how quickly distress can turn to death...i WILL be breaking a window...
as a side not for folks who leave thier dogs in the car with it running...ever thought what would happen hould your engine die?! what if your ac goes out, what then?!
a police officer freind lost his k9 partner when the ac system on the squad car died while he wasdoing a routein call, the dog was in the car for less than 15 minutes and was dead by the time they got back...
I don't want to get off topic here, but I've never heard of spend down for auto insurance?
The rescuer waited 40 minutes on the nonemergency police officers to arrive. After you call, you sorta expect a reasonable response time. I wouldn't have left either, thinking they'd be there any minute for me to explain what was going on...and for all we know (because the video doesn't say), the owner of the dog was in a clinic inside a medical center with her elderly mother. How are you going to page someone there? I assure you, it wouldn't happen in our area. But we simply do not know. I'm pretty sure the doctor's office was in a commercial area - where are you going to start looking?
I don't see the crazy on both sides - I see one irresponsible woman who says she didn't know how hot it could get in a car in Albuquerque. It doesn't exactly say when the incident occurred, but clearly sometime this spring or summer since the court date was reported June 27, 2012. Average temp there in May 85 deg, June 92 deg. Add the heat up factor from insulating windows and upholstery, and I'm sure it was an oven.
I don't want to get off topic here, but I've never heard of spend down for auto insurance?
I've never heard of that, either. Maybe that's something available only in certain states or from certain insurance companies?
I think people sometimes forget that the way things work in their state isn't the case everywhere, and that goes for how the police respond to these kinds of calls, too. In some areas the police don't place high priority dogs in distress calls. A lot of facilities don't have paging systems, either.
I once had a crowd gathered around my car because my dogs were in it on a warm summer day. They had even summoned a cop who was about to whack my side window with his Mag-Lite. I suppose in their zeal to be heroes, it never caught their attention that my car was running nor did it occur to them to even check. Going forward when I had to leave the dogs in my car for a bit I put a sign in my window that said "CAR IS RUNNING, A/C IS ON, DOGS ARE FINE, DO NOT SMASH WINDOW"
It's against the law here to leave a car occupied with pets or kids unattended running or not or even unattended, locked or not, running.
How do I know? I locked the dog in the car with a/c running years ago to run into 7-11 to get the sunday paper before we were heading out for a roadtrip. It was the coolest part of the day-around 6a.m., but a cop pulled in and told me the law. Never again.
It's just plain common sense and decency and humanity to NOT leave anything trapped in a car EVER!
Try buying a 99 cent house plant and test how fast it prostrates in a closed vehicle.
I've called many times. Nope. Make that many, many times. Our police always respond and I never get into a confrontation with the owner.
How could you hear yourself defend to yourself, forget the idiot owner, "well, I thought about calling or braking the window, but I didn't want any trouble, so I decided to watch the animal/child die instead".
Maybe you could. I can't.
Here too,
BUT there is a loop hole in the law and no one ever gets the ticket or pays it, IF they are using a remote car starter.
if you turn on the a/c then use the remote car starter the a/c will be on and if it is shifted into gear it will shut off.
With most modern vehicles you have to push on the brake peddle to be able to shift it into gear so your dog can't do it, and pushing on the peddle will also shut it off.
lastly I have yet to get a ticket leaving a key in the ignition with the doors locked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by B4U
It's against the law here to leave a car occupied with pets or kids unattended running or not or even unattended, locked or not, running.
How do I know? I locked the dog in the car with a/c running years ago to run into 7-11 to get the sunday paper before we were heading out for a roadtrip. It was the coolest part of the day-around 6a.m., but a cop pulled in and told me the law. Never again.
346.57 DOGS AND CATS IN MOTOR VEHICLES.
Subdivision 1.Unattended dogs or cats.
A person may not leave a dog or a cat unattended in a standing or parked motor vehicle in a manner that endangers the dog's or cat's health or safety.
Subd. 2.Removal of dogs or cats.
A peace officer, as defined in section 626.84, a humane agent, a dog warden, or a volunteer or professional member of a fire or rescue department of a political subdivision may use reasonable force to enter a motor vehicle and remove a dog or cat which has been left in the vehicle in violation of subdivision 1. A person removing a dog or a cat under this subdivision shall use reasonable means to contact the owner of the dog or cat to arrange for its return home. If the person is unable to contact the owner, the person may take the dog or cat to an animal shelter.
Subd. 3.Petty misdemeanor.
A person who violates subdivision 1 is subject to a fine of $25.
In Minneapolis. If you car is stolen with the keys in and the engine running, the Minneapolis Police Department will add insult to injury and give you a $34 ticket.
Last edited by snofarmer; 06-30-2012 at 08:07 AM..
i too have never heard of "spend downs" for car insurance, deductables yes..but not spend downs...and you knwo what, id much rather say "dude orry, so sue me" and break the window to SAVE a dying dog (again a dog has to be in obvious distress and emergency responce more than 5 minutes away for me to act like that...(and yes heat stroke CAN KILL within 5 minutes if the dog is already showing signs of distress) than Wait, let the dog die because the poor idiots owner might not cover a broken window...
id also rather stay on scene and wait for emergency responce so i can act if the situation turns dire than go wnadering aimlessly trying to get someone to page a person based on their car make/model or liscense plate number...(which most people dont listen to pages IF the pace pages in the first place (ive never been in a drs office or clinic with a PA system (hospital yes but not a dr) so if you dont know WHOS car it belongs to how does the resceptionsit know which room to call if theres no PA/Loud speaker system...
there is NO excuse for leaving a dog in a parked vehicle...and after seeing the result of a malfunction of an ac unit i wouldnt leave my pet unattended in a running vehicle either.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
