Every year near the start of summer, we begin to hear news
stories about young children dying in hot cars. What we hear about less
often, because they are rarely reported, are the cases in which companion
dogs die similar, terrible deaths.
These animals� deaths are tragedies that occur with
alarming frequency, yet are entirely preventable. That is why API is
launching a national initiative � "My Dog Is Cool ... Is Yours?" � just in
time for the hot weather season. With your help, we can save dogs from
heat-related deaths this summer.
As the summer heats up, it�s important that people be made
aware of the dangers of leaving their companion animals inside hot cars.
Every year, dogs die after being locked inside cars while their guardians
work, visit, shop, or run other errands. These tragic deaths are entirely
preventable.
Warm weather can literally be a killer for a dog left
inside a car. When it�s 85 degrees out, the temperature inside a car �
even with the windows left slightly open � can soar to 102 degrees in 10
minutes, and reach 120 in just half an hour. On hotter days, the
temperature will climb even higher. Outside temperatures in the 70s can be
dangerous, as well.
As with the tragic deaths of young children locked in hot
cars, the deaths of companion dogs are not usually deliberate acts. You
may already be aware of the risk, but most people simply don�t realize how
quickly closed, unattended cars or trucks can become stifling death traps.
Fortunately, this is a problem that can be prevented � with your help.
Your assistance is invaluable in our effort to spread the word about how
dangerous hot cars are for dogs.
How to Help
* Contact API for a supply of our "Don�t Leave Me in Here
� It�s Hot!" flyers. Click here to place an order.... (
http://www.api4animals.org/invitem.asp?id=3 ) Keep a stack handy when you
go out shopping, go to work, run errands, etc.
* When temperatures rise and you see a dog in a parked
car, slip a "Don�t Leave Me in Here � It�s Hot!" flyer under the car�s
windshield wiper. When the dog�s guardian returns to the car, they will
find the educational flyer and, we hope, think twice about leaving their
companion in a hot car again.
* If you come across a dog already in heat-related
distress, call the local police department and/or animal control. The dog
should be drenched in cool water immediately, and taken to a veterinarian
for emergency treatment. Signs of heat exhaustion include excessive
panting, drooling, a bright red tongue, weakness, staggering, seizures,
and eventual loss of consciousness.
* Ask your local shops, supermarkets, restaurants,
libraries, and other public places to help educate more people about the
dangers of leaving a dog in a car in the summertime by distributing "Don�t
Leave Me in Here � It�s Hot!" flyers to their patrons.
* Write a Letter to the Editor.... (http://www.mydogiscool.com/LetterToEditor.htm)
of your local newspaper, urging readers to leave their dogs at home on
warm days. Contact API for information about how to pass an ordinance
and/or a policy in your community relating to not leaving animals
unattended in a vehicle on a warm day. Thank you for helping save dogs�
lives this summer! For more information, please see
www.MyDogIsCool.com.
Go on to Patent On
Beagle Dogs Canceled
Return to 6 June 2004 Issue
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