How You Can Help

In addition to avoiding this situation with your own pets, there are also things you can do to protect pets in your community. Share this information with your fellow dog owners, and encourage your veterinarians and local pet stores to post information about this issue. It is also important to recognize the signs of heatstroke in dogs, which include heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid pulse, unsteadiness, a staggering gait, vomiting, or a deep red or purple tongue.

If you see a dog inside a car that is at risk, there are things you can do to help.

• Ask nearby businesses to make an announcement to alert the dog’s owner.
• If the owner cannot be located, call your local police’s non-emergency number, or your local animal control or rescue league.
• Many states are passing “hot car” laws to protect pets and penalize pet owners. Some even have laws protecting good samaritans who rescue pets in distress. Know the rules, and if your state or community doesn’t have any laws on the books, talk to your local representatives.

Keeping pets safe is important to us at DogWatch. We hope this information helps keep many pets safe this summer and for many summers to come.

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