As the dog days of summer continue, Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control officers are urging residents to not leave their dogs – or other pets – in vehicles.
There is no safe temperature at which a pet can be left alone in a vehicle, said Peggy Bender, a spokeswoman for Animal Care & Control.
Earlier in the summer an officer rescued a pet in a vehicle when it was 73 degrees outside. The temperature inside: 110 degrees, Bender said.
And Animal Care & Control officers have recorded even higher temperatures by placing a thermometer inside when windows of a vehicle are left slightly open.
A dog’s normal body temperature is about 101 to 102.5 degrees.
Dogs can survive with a high body temperature for only a short time. They will then begin to suffer nerve damage, liver damage and brain damage and possibly death, Bender said.
While Animal Care & Control officers have not found any dead animals in vehicles this summer, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been casualties.
“If the animal had died, we probably wouldn’t know about it,” Bender said, adding that “good Samaritans” usually call authorities when they see animals left in vehicles – alive.
When alerted, Animal Care & Control officers will remove the animal for health and safety reasons.
“If the animal’s life is in immediate danger they have the right to remove that animal from that situation,” Bender said.
Leaving animals alone in vehicles violates city ordinance, which prohibits animals from being left in vehicles with unfavorable conditions. A first-time offense brings a $150 fine plus court costs, Bender said.
“Very much like children, people think they will run into a store for a minute – and they get distracted,” Bender said. “They don’t realize how much time has passed.”
In addition to animal control officers, Fort Wayne police are often called to assist in animal rescues. A police officer must open locked vehicles. Each entry takes three to four minutes, depending on the type of vehicle, said officer Raquel Foster, Fort Wayne police spokeswoman.
Foster said officers are regularly called to help with these vehicle entries. A child or an animal left in a vehicle is a higher-priority call for police.
No firm numbers are available on how many entries police have made this year, Foster said.
“You will see it (animals in vehicles) more during the summer months,” she said.
