This afternoon I went to get groceries from the supermarket. When I drove up I saw an elderly couple standing near a car, nervous, almost panicky. I heard them talking to each other agitatedly and I quickly walked over to ask what was going on.
They looked at me I saw a slight panic in their eyes. The woman started to speak without any explanation. "We have been here for at least 10 minutes and see no one coming back and he is really sinking now". I didn't understand much at first, but as I walked closer to the car I immediately realized that there was an urgent need.
The car was in full sun, with an outside temperature of about 30 degrees, all windows closed and in the car a German Shepherd was in the back seat. He had his mouth open as far as he could, he was on his side and his gums turned white.
I quickly grabbed my phone and called the emergency number. They agreed that I no longer had to wait for the owner to come back, but that immediate action was needed here, so I took a big stone and smashed the car window. After this I was happy that I could open the car door from the inside.
With the help from the man, we carefully lifted the dog out of the car. Not long after, the police also arrived on the scene. They had been summoned by the reporting center. One of the officers went to the supermarket to get cool wet towels to put under and on the dog and they called the animal ambulance to transport the dog to the vet where his health condition would be checked.
From what I know, the police would wait there by the car for the owner and get a police report for leaving his dog in the locked car, which will cost him very expensive this way. Because besides the fine for that, he also gets the bills from the animal ambulance, from the vet and he has to take his car to the garage for a new window. The insurance does not cover this damage. Rightly so!
I don't like to scold, but seriously, if I ever ran into the idiot who did this. Then I would really like to tell him or her that they are not worth having a dog. A dog is unconditionally loyal to its owner and is 'rewarded' for it in such a way? Incomprehensible. Then you really miss a portion of common sense. There is no excuse to make up for this.
Too bad I couldn't wait, but I had to continue to get my groceries, and quickly back to my own dogs. At least with peace of mind that I knew the dog had now been taken out of the sweltering car, that he would be taken care of ... and I can only hope he is doing well now.
As for the owner? If it were up to me personally, such a person would never get the dog back, and should never keep a dog again. If you are transporting a dog in a car to go somewhere together with this again, fine! But after that, bring the dog home, and definitely don't leave it in a hot car.
The temperature in a stationary car can easily rise to 50 degrees Celsius, and if you know that dogs suffer from heat very quickly. Then you can imagine that 50 degrees Celsius is really killer hot.
We humans lose heat by sweating, not a dog. A dog only has sweat glands at the soles of his feet. In order to get rid of heat, a dog must therefore have space to keep the soles of his feet free, and furthermore he can only pant, and pant harder and harder to ensure that air flows at great speed along the moist mucous membranes of his mouth. But if that air is stuffy because the car is closed, so that air is also 50 degrees Celsius, then a dog can no longer cool down and he overheats very quickly. And overheating can quickly cause a coma and even death in a dog.
As a dog owner you have the responsibility in my opinion to know this! And to take that into account. And staying more than 20 minutes away from your car where your dog is locked in with these temperatures is never good in my opinion. There is really no excuse for it. So ...
Posted from Telokanda Hive Dapp
