By Blake Haas
BLOOMINGTON – Temperatures are on the rise across Central Illinois, and leaving a dog in a hot car could mean a death sentence for the animal.
Dr. Valeri Farmer-Dougan, director of the Canine Behavior and Cognition Laboratory (CBCL) at Illinois State University, said leaving an animal in a car for more than 10 minutes could be dangerous.
“On a day like today, unless you are taking your dog somewhere, don’t take your dog with you in the car. On a day like today, if you take your dog in the car and you leave them, even for a minute, within ten minutes, it will be 140 degrees. Which means your dog will be dead. And it’s just too hot to leave a child or a dog in the car today.
With the summer months underway, Dr. Farmer-Dougan told WJBC’s Scott Miller that even when the temperatures are cooler, leaving an animal in the car can still be dangerous.
“Even on a day where it’s 70, it can get really hot really quickly in the car. So, in the summer, in the springtime around here, where it goes from 40 to 90, don’t leave your dog in the car. Even if you leave water or stuff like that, it’s just going to get too hot where the dog will be physically unable to even get to the water. And the water won’t be enough to cool because remember the water is going to heat up too. So no dogs in the car today unless you are taking them to the vet or to the park.”
In Illinois, leaving your dog in the car for a prolonged period is considered a misdemeanor and could come with a year in jail sentence.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].
