# Keep your poodle safe in the car in hot weather....



## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Once you watch this, you'll always remember to watch out for your dog in the car when the temperatures soar!
Veterinarian Sits In Car Parked For Half Hour To Show How It Affects Pets - YouTube


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

There is a UK campaign - Don't Cook Your Dog DON'T COOK YOUR DOG | Join the campaign & be a life saver
Even in cool weather, a car can heat up incredibly quickly in even hazy sun


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

Good reminder! Thanks for sharing.

Does anyone happen to know how leaving the windows and/or sunroof completely open affects the car's interior temperature?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Not enough!


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## Ellyisme (Jul 17, 2012)

cookieface said:


> Good reminder! Thanks for sharing.
> 
> Does anyone happen to know how leaving the windows and/or sunroof completely open affects the car's interior temperature?


From what I've read leaving windows open has no effect on the car heating up at all. It still gets HOT!


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Even windows open on a sunny, still day will heat up a car.

It will be cooler inside with a breeze, cooler yet in partial shade, even cooler in full shade.

If I can sit in there comfortably, so can Tonka. If not, we save a trip to town for a cooler day!


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## Servicepoodlemomma (Jun 22, 2013)

Agreed. This is why even my service dog I often don't take with me on a hot day - if I'm hot and miserable by the time I get there, the dog is sure to feel the same. 


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

San Diego is HOT in the summer and Public Service Messages about leaving animals in cars flood our TV stations and people STILL do it! We see rescues of animals left in cars all the time on the news here in the summer, not only of dogs but of infants!!! 
If Molly is not allowed in the store I am going to....she stays home! And since we are a pretty dog friendly city, that's not often LOL!!!!


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

Thanks. I had only ever seen references to cars with windows cracked, not completely open. 

Guess Katie won't be going to the farm stand with me. It's a shame because it is a nice outing - park, farm, then pet store. There are two local farm stands where I feel comfortable enough leaving her in the car alone because they're small, very few people, and I'm not gone more than 10 minutes.



Countryboy said:


> Even windows open on a sunny, still day will heat up a car.
> 
> It will be cooler inside with a breeze, cooler yet in partial shade, even cooler in full shade.
> 
> If I can sit in there comfortably, so can Tonka. If not, we save a trip to town for a cooler day!


I'm a bad one to judge temperatures as I'm always cold and could comfortably sit in a hot, closed car far longer than any dog ever could.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

cookieface said:


> Does anyone happen to know how leaving the windows and/or sunroof completely open affects the car's interior temperature?


Just a bit of info....This is from a 2009 piece on Pet Health on NBCNews.com in which a hot car is referred to as "a solar powered Easy-Bake oven." That really sent a chill through me!

Everyone's opened a car door and been amazed by how much hotter it is than outside — but you may not realize exactly how hot a car can get. Check out the numbers at the Web site mydogiscool.com, a program of United Animal Nations. *When it's 72 degrees, a car in direct sun can reach an internal temperature of 116. Even in the shade, a car can be 10 to 20 degrees hotter than outdoors,* and cracking the window has almost no effect.

Veterinarian Cate Rinaldo, a volunteer with United Animal Nations, points out that *dogs don't have sweat glands all over their bodies like humans do, so the main way they can cool off is by panting, which isn't very efficient.*

*Once a dog's body temperature gets over about 106 — normal temperature is around 101 — the result is "everything from nerve damage, heart problems, liver damage, systemic organ failure, and it happens fast, within a matter of minutes,"* she says.
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You might want to check out My Dog Is Cool | RedRover, which was referenced in the piece. It has a chart of outside and inside the car temperatures measured throughout the day.:fear:


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

I may need to buy an outdoor thermometer and conduct some experiments of my own. Nice summer project (in addition the others I have).


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Chagall's mom said:


> *When it's 72 degrees, a car in direct sun can reach an internal temperature of 116. Even in the shade, a car can be 10 to 20 degrees hotter than outdoors,* and cracking the window has almost no effect.


Do keep in mind that these are warnings... slanted toward the dramatic for effect. "Can reach"???... or maybe not. "Can be 10 to 20 degrees hotter"???... or maybe not. And how big an effect is 'almost'? 

I had to deal the other day with some Drama Queens who spotted Tonka in my car, in the shade, with both windows completely down, for 20 minutes, as I was in the grocery store. He was asleep in the back seat, as usual, not even panting.

But still, they had phoned the police. Who were not pleased that their time had been wasted.

Heed these warnings???... certainly! But let's not overdo it either...


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

When we lived in Texas many years ago, I ran to the store with our toy poodle. Left the car running, the doors locked and the ac blasting as I ran in and out. I was gone about five minutes. In that time, they were paging me from the front of the store becasue someone had called the police who were waiting for me next to my car by the front door. The officer started to get onto me, when I offered to unlock my car so he could see how actually cold it was inside the car. He agreed and left. I have never taken our dogs with by myself when it is hot out since.


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## Kenzie (Jan 7, 2013)

I agree. If Pierre can't go in, he stays at home. I would not leave car windows down for fear someone would steal my sweet little doggie. Sometimes I take him to Lowes or Home Depot just so he will feel special.


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## cavon (Aug 10, 2010)

I'm not for taking chances with this either!!


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## schpeckie (Jun 29, 2010)

We've had such hot weather here too lately! The best thing, is to leave your pet at home!


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## Pluto (Jul 8, 2012)

My girl really enjoys running errands with me, and since the dog park is often the first stop on our weekend route, she goes with me frequently. Like Countryboy pointed out there has been so much publicity about dogs in cars that I really don't leave her, even with the windows down. I have considered leaving the tailgate up and seeing how that works. 

But for the most part I run more dog friendly errands the dog park, nursery, hardware store, and farmers market. She is not allowed in the open air market area but it is small and I tie her to a tree in the shade and can pretty much keep an eye on her the entire time. Yesterday I had to pick up a few things at the grocery store and didn't want to drive back across town after our trip to the dog park so I tied her out front of the grocery (once again, under a tree) and ran in. Same if I want to grab a coffee at the local shop, they have a nice tree right outside the big windows and I can see he the whole time. Even though she would be fine with the windows down for that amount of time, it's just safer from a people management perspective to leave her outside of the car.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Yeah we don't take our dogs in the car when it's hot either. Unless I'm dropping off my daughter who has an obsession with the library...then I take the dogs out of the car and wait for her under a tree. It's nicer for the dogs anyway because they get to greet all the passersby. But a side note, even though it's much cooler in the mornings when we run (15 to 20 degrees Celsius) they're still really hot when we get back, lying flat out on the floor and panting for a few minutes.


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## Servicepoodlemomma (Jun 22, 2013)

Pluto said:


> My girl really enjoys running errands with me, and since the dog park is often the first stop on our weekend route, she goes with me frequently. Like Countryboy pointed out there has been so much publicity about dogs in cars that I really don't leave her, even with the windows down. I have considered leaving the tailgate up and seeing how that works.
> 
> But for the most part I run more dog friendly errands the dog park, nursery, hardware store, and farmers market. She is not allowed in the open air market area but it is small and I tie her to a tree in the shade and can pretty much keep an eye on her the entire time. Yesterday I had to pick up a few things at the grocery store and didn't want to drive back across town after our trip to the dog park so I tied her out front of the grocery (once again, under a tree) and ran in. Same if I want to grab a coffee at the local shop, they have a nice tree right outside the big windows and I can see he the whole time. Even though she would be fine with the windows down for that amount of time, it's just safer from a people management perspective to leave her outside of the car.


Be very careful with this - I have a friend who did this while they ran in the coffee shop. They didn't realize the dog had started chewing it's leash until they where coming out - the dog bolted and the leash finished breaking and she watched her dog get hit and killed instantly. I have also heard many stories where thieves have stollen dogs from in front of grocery stores. Personally if I'm going places my dogs can't, or the trip will be to warm, my dogs stay home where they're safe! Even my service dog!


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## Kenzie (Jan 7, 2013)

Regarding coffee shops....why not go thru the drive thru? Starbuck's gives Pierre a "puppachino" (whipped cream onlly). Then we park and sit outside. I am really afraid someone would steal him if they had the chance


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## hunny518 (Jun 5, 2012)

My dogs go everywhere with me. I'm. Pet groomer so they get to go to work with me everyday too. 
When it gets hot outside( we have been in the 80s and 90s consecutively for the last couple weeks) my dogs get very frustrated because they start getting left at home more frequently. 
Over all, I make dog friendly trips and if I have them with me I either, leave them at work and run some errands and come back and pick them up, drop them off at my moms house and then run my errands or I just don't run my errands and go home and leave them for another day. I frequently will write down all the things I need to do that day and make sure I can take them with me everywhere I'm going before I decide to take them with.
There is no way I could tie them up outside when I run in somewhere because I am way too paranoid someone would try to steal them.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

hunny518 said:


> My dogs go everywhere with me. I'm. Pet groomer so they get to go to work with me everyday too.
> When it gets hot outside( we have been in the 80s and 90s consecutively for the last couple weeks) my dogs get very frustrated because they start getting left at home more frequently.
> Over all, *I make dog friendly trips* and if I have them with me I either, leave them at work and* run some errands and come back and pick them up,* drop them off at my moms house and then run my errands* or I just don't run my errands and go home and leave them for another day. I* *frequently will write down all the things I need to do that day and make sure I can take them with me everywhere I'm going before I decide to take them with.*
> *There is no way I could tie them up outside when I run in somewhere because I am way too paranoid someone would try to steal them*.


You sound so much like me, except for the professional groomer part!


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## taem (Mar 5, 2011)

Pluto said:


> I tie her to a tree in the shade and can pretty much keep an eye on her the entire time. Yesterday I had to pick up a few things at the grocery store and didn't want to drive back across town after our trip to the dog park so I tied her out front of the grocery (once again, under a tree) and ran in. Same if I want to grab a coffee at the local shop, they have a nice tree right outside the big windows and I can see he the whole time. Even though she would be fine with the windows down for that amount of time, it's just safer from a people management perspective to leave her outside of the car.


Well I lived in sketchy parts of Berkeley and Oakland for a while and a dog tied outside will be gone before the door closes behind you on your way in. I don't care if I can see the dog, I still have to run outside and catch up to and subdue the guy who's taking my dog. Not worth a quick trip in a car, if I can't take the dog in with me, the dog stays home.

He'll I've seen gangbangers raid dog parks, and you know what's going to happen to those dogs. Still gives me nightmares.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Just saw this from the American Kennel Club. Another good reminder of hot weather perils for poodles.


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