08/07/2025
Please take a few minutes to read this very important message about leaving your pets in the car.
Leaving a dog in a car—even with the windows cracked—is extremely dangerous and can quickly lead to heatstroke or even death, even on relatively mild days. Temperatures inside a car can rise dramatically and rapidly, potentially reaching deadly levels within minutes.
I live in the Sacramento area. Sacramento summers are HOT. Much too hot to leave a dog in a car while you’re at an appointment.
If you love your dog, take the time to inform yourself. The ignorance displayed by both the dog owner and the medical employees in my story below reminded me how much education people still need on this subject.
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🐾 THIS is Why I Will Always Speak Up 🐾
Today, I saw a dog locked in a parked car in 80-degree heat. No one else seemed concerned—but I was. I always will be.
I arrived for my appointment at 9:35 AM. I heard a dog barking but couldn’t pinpoint its location. By the time I was on the phone with 911 at 10:30 AM, an entire hour had passed—and the dog was still locked inside.
At 80°F outside, that car was now at least 123–125°F inside.
I went back into the building and told both the dental and medical staff that one of their patients had a dog locked in a hot car—and I was calling 911.
They didn’t seem alarmed and told me they couldn’t locate the owner.
I called 911. They transferred me to the fire department, but for whatever reason, I was told they couldn’t dispatch anyone and that I should call 311.
So I did.
While I was on the phone with 311, two clinic staff members came outside. One of them told me, “The dog is fine. The window is cracked. You don’t need to call anyone.” She demanded I hang up. Caught off guard, I did.
But my gut wouldn’t let it go.
I called 311 again and said:
“I don’t care what these people say. My obligation is to this dog.”
Then the dog’s owner came out.
Not with remorse.
Not with an apology.
But with rage. Screaming at me.
As she was walking toward me, she tripped over a concrete parking barrier and fell face-first into the asphalt.
I rushed to help. She wasn’t moving—I genuinely thought she was unconscious or worse.
The medical staff looked at me like I had caused it. I hadn’t touched her.
But when she got up, she went right back to yelling at me—condescending and defensive, as if I didn’t know what I was talking about.
I told her, “It may only be 80 degrees outside, but after an hour, your car is 123 degrees. Even with the window cracked.”
She continued to argue.
I told her, “I’m not even inside a car and I’m sweating.”
She turned toward me and said:
“Well, that’s because you’re fat.”
Oh yes—she went there.
She insulted my body to deflect her own neglect.
And yet… I STILL offered to sit outside in the shade with her dog until she was finished with her dentist appointment.
She declined.
I walked away crying. Angry. Heartbroken. I felt helpless.
But I didn’t leave.
I told the 311 operator,
“I am NOT leaving this dog.”
And that kind man said:
“You’re absolutely right. What she did—and how she treated you—is unacceptable.”
Eventually, I looked back at the car—no movement. No barking.
I panicked.
But thankfully, the owner had finally removed the dog and was sitting with her in the shade.
What she doesn’t realize is that if she had left the dog inside even a little longer, she would’ve come back to a dead pet.
I saved her dog’s life today.
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🚨 Why This Matters:
Even with the windows cracked, leaving a dog in a car can be fatal—even on mild days. Here’s what you need to know:
• 🚗 Rapid Temperature Rise:
On a 70-degree day, the inside of a car can reach 110°F in minutes.
At 80°F, it can hit 123–125°F in under an hour—just like it did today.
• 🐶 Dogs Can’t Cool Down Like Humans:
They rely on panting, which is ineffective in a sealed, sweltering car.
• ⚠️ Heatstroke Happens Fast:
High internal temps can cause organ damage, brain swelling, and death—even with a cracked window.
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🩺 Signs of Overheating in Dogs:
• Frantic panting
• Excessive drooling
• Labored breathing
• Bright red tongue or gums
• Vomiting
• Collapse or unresponsiveness
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🐾 What You Should Do:
✔️ NEVER leave your dog in a parked car, even for “just a minute.”
✔️ If you must bring them, provide shade, airflow, water—or keep the AC running and stay with them.
✔️ If you see a dog in distress, call 911 or animal control immediately.
✔️ Stay nearby until help arrives. Be the voice they don’t have.
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I didn’t speak up today to “cause a scene.”
I spoke up because that dog couldn’t.
And I’ll keep speaking up.
Even if it means being called names.
Even if it makes people uncomfortable.
Even if I stand alone.
Because if we don’t speak for them—who will?
— Stacey
Frankly Pets 🐾
