A parked car on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes.
What do you do when you see a dog in a car at the grocery store? If you see a dog left alone in a car, take down the car's color, model, make, and license plate number. Have the owner paged in the store, or call local humane authorities or police. Have someone keep an eye on the dog. Don't leave the scene until the situation has been resolved.
Walk into the nearby store and speak with a store manager. I have found store managers to be very helpful in locating the owner or calling animal control.
If police are unresponsive or too slow and the dog's life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness (or several) who will back up your assessment, take steps to remove the suffering animal, and then wait for authorities to arrive.
It is illegal anywhere to leave a dog for more than 5 minutes in a car.
Don't just walk away and think that the owner is coming right back. What is something happened inside the store and they couldn't get back in the 5 minutes they thought it would take. Maybe the line is longer than anticipated to checkout or perhaps they bumped into a friend to talk.
Call the police right away. Have the non emergency phone number of your police department saved as a favorite on your cell phone.
Act right away, please. Minutes count.
In Wilmington, NC the animal control number is (910) 798-7500
We felt the need to post this information, as today we saw a dog left in a car at our local Harris Teeter and acted on this situation right away. There is no excuse for leaving an animal in a car!
Mickey's Pet Supplies is a natural pet supplies store for cats and dogs.
Visit us online at http://www.mickeyspetsupplies.com
