Dog days of summer prompt safety reminder about leaving your pooch in the car

Although most dog owners know to never leave their pooch in a vehicle unattended, the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center receives numerous calls every summer about dogs left in cars. 

Cracking or rolling down a window does not make a dog safe. In fact, temperatures can rise to dangerous levels in just a few minutes, putting your pet at risk of heat stroke and death. On a 70-degree day, the temperature inside a car can reach 99 degrees in 20 minutes. The interior temperature of a vehicle on a 90-degree day can soar to 109 degrees within 10 minutes. Hundreds of pets die from car-related heat stroke each year.

As a result, it is illegal to leave a pet unattended in a motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of the animal.  California State Penal Code 597.7 states: “No person shall leave an animal in any unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation or lack of food and water or other circumstances that could be reasonable expected to cause sufferings, disability or death to the animal.”  

California also recently enacted a law that allows any person to rescue a distressed animal from a car by forcible entry without fear of civil or criminal liability.  That means if you leave your dog in your car – along with endangering the animal – you will receive a citation and hefty repair bill after your dog is rescued. Remember to leave your pets at home where it is cool and safe.

If you see a pet alone inside a vehicle, contact the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center at 949-470-3045.