Dogs are often our best friends, yet every summer, some people leave their dogs in their hot cars. It’s an oversight that can be fatal.
Timmins Humane Society executive director Alicia Santamaria says that as much as your dog likes to ride in the car, taking him or her with you when you’re running errands is not a good idea.
“We encourage people to leave their dogs at home when at all possible, if they’ve got a lot of stops to make,” she says.
With the fur coat and being unable to sweat, a dog can heat up a lot faster than even a person. It takes mere minutes for the effects of the heat to set in.
“They don’t sweat the way people do,” Santamaria observes. “They actually try to cool themselves down through panting. It’s a little bit different for a dog and they can actually overheat even quicker than people can.”