It is no secret summer heat has arrived. Along with longer days comes warmer weather, much warmer weather. Street Homeless Animal Project is again promoting the Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign.
The campaign launched in 2017-18, and with the help of a grant from LUSH Cosmetics, Street Homeless Animal Project has continued to raise awareness with a multimedia blitz, including public service announcements, radio spots, newspaper ads, bus transit banners and parking meter stickers — all in the hopes of saving lives. Actor and animal activist Ali MacGraw is the official spokesperson for SHAP’s campaign, and this year, the bus transit banners for Dogs Die in Hot Cars were sponsored by the Doris G. Walbridge Foundation.
How do you know if it is too hot to lock a dog in a car? If it is 75 degrees outside, it is too hot to keep a dog locked inside a car. On a day with 75 degree temperatures, the heat can climb to 130 degrees in just minutes inside of a car. Studies have shown it makes very little difference whether a car’s windows are closed or partially open.
Although people can survive in a locked car, dog are different. Humans are able to sweat and regulate body temperatures whereas dogs cannot. Being locked in a car also creates anxiety for some dogs, causing panic and making the situation worse.
“If you love them, leave them at home is our motto,” said SHAP founder Karen Cain. “Not for a minute, not for a second should animals be left in a hot car. Even with the windows.
