MONTHLY INFORMATION
(JULY)

Pets in Vehicles

You may have a pet that loves to ride in the car, and as a good pet owner, many of us take our pets with us.  But on hot or even warm spring and summer days, your car can heat up quickly 

An on 85-degree day, even with the windows slightly open, the temperature inside a car can climb to 102 degrees in 10 minutes and to 120 degrees in 30 minutes.  Needless to say on even warmer days the temperature will climb much higher.  A dog’s normal body temperature is 101.5 to 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit.  A dog can withstand a body temperature of 107 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit for only a very short time before suffering irreparable brain damage, or even death.  A closed car interferes with a dog’s normal cooling process of evaporation through panting.  You may have read this already, but with the summer weather, this needs repeating…your short five-minute stops can easily stretch to 15 minutes or more. 

Remember, our pets provide us with unconditional love, agree with everything we say, keep a lonely night from becoming truly lonely, warm up our beds on cold nights, help teach our children about responsibility, keep our homes safe, make us smile, and help us live longer.  Be kind to your pet on those warm summer days by providing it with good ventilation, protection from the sun, cool fresh drinking water and leaving your pet at home.