AR-News: Danger To Dogs

[molly]

Help Save Dogs This Summer

Help Save Dogs This Summer
Every year near the start of summer, we begin to hear news stories about
young children dying in hot cars. What we hear about less often, because
they are rarely reported, are the cases in which companion dogs die similar,
terrible deaths.

These animals' deaths are tragedies that occur with alarming frequency, yet
are entirely preventable. That is why API is launching a national
initiative - "My Dog Is Cool ... Is Yours?" - just in time for the hot
weather season. With your help, we can save dogs from heat-related deaths
this summer.

As the summer heats up, it's important that people be made aware of the
dangers of leaving their companion animals inside hot cars. Every year, dogs
die after being locked inside cars while their guardians work, visit, shop,
or run other errands. These tragic deaths are entirely preventable.

Warm weather can literally be a killer for a dog left inside a car. When
it's 85 degrees out, the temperature inside a car - even with the windows
left slightly open - can soar to 102 degrees in 10 minutes, and reach 120 in
just half an hour. On hotter days, the temperature will climb even higher.
Outside temperatures in the 70s can be dangerous, as well.

As with the tragic deaths of young children locked in hot cars, the deaths
of companion dogs are not usually deliberate acts. You may already be aware
of the risk, but most people simply don't realize how quickly closed,
unattended cars or trucks can become stifling death traps. Fortunately, this
is a problem that can be prevented - with your help. Your assistance is
invaluable in our effort to spread the word about how dangerous hot cars are
for dogs.

How to Help

  a.. Contact API for a supply of our "Don't Leave Me in Here - It's Hot!"
flyers. Click here to place an order. Keep a stack handy when you go out
shopping, go to work, run errands, etc.
  b.. When temperatures rise and you see a dog in a parked car, slip a
"Don't Leave Me in Here - It's Hot!" flyer under the car's windshield wiper.
When the dog's guardian returns to the car, they will find the educational
flyer and, we hope, think twice about leaving their companion in a hot car
again.
  c.. If you come across a dog already in heat-related distress, call the
local police department and/or animal control. The dog should be drenched in
cool water immediately, and taken to a veterinarian for emergency treatment.
Signs of heat exhaustion include excessive panting, drooling, a bright red
tongue, weakness, staggering, seizures, and eventual loss of consciousness.
  d.. Ask your local shops, supermarkets, restaurants, libraries, and other
public places to help educate more people about the dangers of leaving a dog
in a car in the summertime by distributing "Don't Leave Me in Here - It's
Hot!" flyers to their patrons.
  e.. Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, urging readers
to leave their dogs at home on warm days.
  f.. Contact API for information about how to pass an ordinance and/or a
policy in your community relating to not leaving animals unattended in a
vehicle on a warm day.
Thank you for helping save dogs' lives this summer! For more information,
please see www.MyDogIsCool.com.

Posted 06/03/04 - Okay to Forward/Crosspost