Save the hot dogs for the ballgame; don’t leave pooches in cars in hot weather, authorities say
As summer-like heat baked Southern California this week, officials cautioned pet owners not to leave their furever friends in locked cars with windows even partially open — and don’t forget about children and elderly people, either.
And though high temperatures are expected to decrease by 10 to 15 degrees by the end of the week for non-coastal areas, officials also noted that the inside of a vehicle can be up to 20 degrees hotter than the weather outside.
Expand
Both the Riverside and San Bernardino police departments on Tuesday, June 11, broke into vehicles to rescue dogs that are expected to recover. In the Riverside case, the temperature in the car was 106.5 degrees when the temperature outside was 89 degrees at 10:30 a.m., police said. The dog’s owner, who left the pet in a car in front of a downtown courthouse, could face charges.
“Since Riverside is only a few blocks away from the sun, we all know how sweltering our summers get … ridiculous hot. So please, do not leave your pets inside a hot vehicle, ever. And while we’re at it, also do not leave your humans inside a hot car,” Riverside police said in a Facebook post.
Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said he expects his officers to have to respond to similar calls of distress, which he said are preventable.
“Young people, the elderly, anybody who is not tolerant to the heat, don’t leave them in the car with the windows up,” he said. “Just be smart, take care of your pets and humans. It goes back to that basic tenet, treat them the way you’d want to be treated.”
HOT HOT HOT!
Before you walk away from your vehicle #LookBeforeYouLock! IF YOU SEE A CHILD UNATTENDED IN A HOT VEHICLE CALL 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY!#MFRCares #MurrietaFire #ChildSafety #HeatAdvisory #HeatWave #NeighborsHelpingNeighbors pic.twitter.com/J5T5qdSbKb
— Murrieta Fire & Rescue (@MurrietaFire) June 11, 2019
Riverside County Animal Services shared these tips on animal safety from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals:
• Pets can get dehydrated quickly, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water when it’s hot outdoors. Make sure your pets have a shady place to get out of the sun, be careful to not over-exercise them, and keep them indoors when it’s extremely hot.
• Symptoms of overheating in pets include excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or even collapse. Animals with flat faces, such as Pugs and Persian cats, are more susceptible to heat stroke since they cannot pant as effectively.
• Do not leave pets unsupervised around a pool – not all dogs are good swimmers.
• When the temperature is very high, don’t let your dog linger on hot asphalt. Your pooch’s body can heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can burn. Keep walks during these times to a minimum.
You’ll have a better chance to be cooler as the week progresses.
Riverside, which the National Weather Service said reached 106 degrees at 1:53 p.m. Tuesday, should have a high temperature of 85 by Saturday. Lake Elsinore could be down from 106 degrees at 1:49 p.m. Tuesday to 85 by Saturday. San Bernardino, cooking at 108 degrees at 2:50 p.m.Tuesday, should cool to about 87 by Saturday. Pasadena should be down from 101 degrees at 1:57 p.m. Tuesday to a high of 79 by the weekend, Northridge should fall from 104 degrees at 2:51 p.m. Tuesday to 82 and Anaheim, which topped out at 89 degrees at 1:48 p.m. Tuesday, will be at 76 by Saturday.
Long Beach, 85 degrees at 3:53 p.m., will be down to a high of 65 on Saturday as fog moves in. Other coastal cities didn’t break 80 degrees Tuesday and will see smaller decreases in high temperatures, the weather service said.