Thomaston man fined $500 for leaving dog in car with windows down. (Bangor: 2014, houses)

[inthetrees]

This story is interesting, unless the dog was a husky or malamute or another strictly northern breed, I don't believe there was any animal cruelty here. Dogs pant heavily to cool themselves when warm, they don't drink water. (The officer stated she saw the dog panting heavily and didn't have any water.)

The guy had the windows down enough that the cop was able to reach her arm in and open the door.

If the windows were rolled up, or just one window was open I might have a different opinion.
Based on this officers words, any dog living outside in the south in the summer would be living in cruelty.

Officer ordered man to sit in hot car after finding his dog locked inside — Midcoast — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by inthetrees

This story is interesting, unless the dog was a husky or malamute or another strictly northern breed, I don't believe there was any animal cruelty here. Dogs pant heavily to cool themselves when warm, they don't drink water. (The officer stated she saw the dog panting heavily and didn't have any water.)

The guy had the windows down enough that the cop was able to reach her arm in and open the door.

If the windows were rolled up, or just one window was open I might have a different opinion.
Based on this officers words, any dog living outside in the south in the summer would be living in cruelty.

Officer ordered man to sit in hot car after finding his dog locked inside — Midcoast — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine

The car was not parked in the shade, and even with the windows rolled down a bit, temps can get very high inside a vehicle in a short amount of time. Check out the chart on this page:

https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/...-vehicles.aspx

According to the chart, it was probably around 118 degrees in that car after 40 minutes. Way too hot for anyone.

[inthetrees]

Originally Posted by lovemaine

The car was not parked in the shade, and even with the windows rolled down a bit, temps can get very high inside a vehicle in a short amount of time. Check out the chart on this page:

https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/...-vehicles.aspx

According to the chart, it was probably around 118 degrees in that car after 40 minutes. Way too hot for anyone.

The chart is for people with the windows up all the way, The news article says the windows were down 2.5 inches. Far enough for the officer to reach in and unlock the door.

Thermometers are dirt cheap, Easy enough to test and see an exact temperature in the car after X minutes, however none of that happened here.

I'm not saying the dog was as comfortable as it could have been, but there is no animal cruelty here. At least not without knowing what breed the dog was, and the actual temperature in the car.

edit: the study you referenced is for children left in enclosed cars, no windows down and NOT DOGS.
edit: I love dogs and would never want to be cruel to them. Our dog eats better than we do and gets better medical care, however he doesnt have feelings, he's a dog. His main purpose in life is to be part of our pack, he doesn't have the brain capacity to think "wow its warm in this car, wish my human wouldn't of left me here" All he thinks is he should start panting to cool himself down, as dogs have done for millions of years.

[7th generation]

Why in tarnation would you chance hurting any pet? Don't quite understand your reasoning that dogs don't have feelings and brain capacity. Those two examples are for humans; have compassion and love for their pets and not put them in any possible danger.
That's why these laws are on the books.

[inthetrees]

Originally Posted by 7th generation

Why in tarnation would you chance hurting any pet? Don't quite understand your reasoning that dogs don't have feelings and brain capacity. Those two examples are for humans; have compassion and love for their pets and not put them in any possible danger.
That's why these laws are on the books.

The problem is you can't leave the law up to peoples FEELINGS, the law needs to be exact, so if its over 95 or 100 degrees in the car (or whatever temp the powers that be agree on), sure charge the person with animal cruelty.

You can't allow individual law enforcement officers to interpret how they feel and use the law accordingly, that' not the way it works, or rather not the way it's suppose to.

In order to have feelings you need to have beliefs, as that's where our feelings come from, If this wasn't the case people would react to actions/events all the same, however since people have different beliefs about things; they feel different when the same exact event happens to someone else.

I never said dogs didnt have brain capacity.

edit: I've realized this discussion is worthless with doing a real life study here in Maine, which I will do this spring/summer when it's 80 degrees out and not windy. I will use actual devices and not feelings to see how hot it actually gets with the windows down various amounts, for various times, recording it each step of the way. I grew up in the South, with windows down to where your arm can get in, I have never experienced temps here in maine that would be cruel to a regular dog; however leave the windows up all the way or only cracked an inch and sure.

[Maine Writer]

If you think dogs don't have feelings you should never be allowed to have a dog.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

I used to guide with a sled dog team. Like wolves and foxes, the dogs re outside year round. The dogs love it. Each of my dogs had large plastic barrel for a house. The dogs used the houses only when it was raining. Each dog had two holes in the snow. They would curl up and sleep in a hole. If it warmed up enough so their body heat melted the snow they would move over to the other hole.

They were always in the shade in summer and always had water. Huskies are athletes. their favorite thing is to run as a team or a pack. The problem is that legislators respond to animal rights activists and write laws that are ridiculous. They disregard common sense in an effort to please a tiny minority of delusional people. A peekapoo or Chihuhua could not survive in the environment where a husky thrives. That does not mean we should abolish sled dog racing.

[American girl]

Would you leave a child in the car 40 minutes on a hot day? Your demented grandmother? A quart of milk? If folks want to take a 40 minute lunch break while they are out on a hot day they do not leave children, adults, food in the car while they are gone. But ol' Red, he has to suffer it out in the car cuz he's just a dumb, unfeeling dog.

Why don't people leave their best friends home where it's comfortable and familiar if their outing includes activities that don't allow pets to participate? Really you can't make a day of it in town and leave the dog home? It's irresponsible to do otherwise.

And finally, sometimes the heavy panting (at least in the case of my two) is as much a product of anxiety as anything else. I only leave mine in the car a few minutes and only if I have a friend to stay with them and still they pant excessively out of fear that I won't return.

[Last1Standing]

Originally Posted by inthetrees

. Our dog eats better than we do and gets better medical care, however he doesnt have feelings, he's a dog. His main purpose in life is to be part of our pack, he doesn't have the brain capacity to think "wow its warm in this car, wish my human wouldn't of left me here" All he thinks is he should start panting to cool himself down, as dogs have done for millions of years.

My past dogs seemed to have fairly complex emotions, thoughts, and other mental abilities. Examples:

--Depression upon the loss of an animal friend
--Joy (dog running on beach)
--Shame (Yes, I did chew up your Crocs and I really regret it.)
--Contentedness
--Anger
--Longing
--Plotting evil deeds (looking over shoulder to see if anyone is watching)
--Telling time
--Disappointment (Sorry, it's raining, no walk today)
--And lots more

Anyone who has a close bond with a dog knows that a huge amount of communication takes places between a human and a dog. Communication comes from thoughts and feelings. Dogs are highly sensitive emotionally. In fact they're more sensitive than some humans in their ability to detect people's thoughts and feelings.

By the way, it gets extremely hot inside a car even with the windows all the way down if it's parked in the sun. I applaud the officer for making the guy sit inside the car to see what it feels like. The fellow admitted that it was a mistake.

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by inthetrees

The chart is for people with the windows up all the way, The news article says the windows were down 2.5 inches. Far enough for the officer to reach in and unlock the door.

Thermometers are dirt cheap, Easy enough to test and see an exact temperature in the car after X minutes, however none of that happened here.

I'm not saying the dog was as comfortable as it could have been, but there is no animal cruelty here. At least not without knowing what breed the dog was, and the actual temperature in the car.

edit: the study you referenced is for children left in enclosed cars, no windows down and NOT DOGS.
edit: I love dogs and would never want to be cruel to them. Our dog eats better than we do and gets better medical care, however he doesnt have feelings, he's a dog. His main purpose in life is to be part of our pack, he doesn't have the brain capacity to think "wow its warm in this car, wish my human wouldn't of left me here" All he thinks is he should start panting to cool himself down, as dogs have done for millions of years.

The article states that cracking the windows has very little effect on the temperature rise in the car. Also, 118 degrees is a 118 degrees. An unhealthy temp for human AND animal.