We’re going to dinner Friday night. It would be best if we can bring the dog and leave him in the car. We should arrive at 8 PM. The temperature should be about 70 degrees, going down to 67.
I’m thinking the dog can handle it safely. Is that right?
Also any tricks I should know, like buying a bag of ice and tossing it in his crate with him?
Not an ideal situation. But if the sun is completely down at 8 pm (at some latitudes at this time of year, it’s not), and if the dog is only going to alone for an hour or two, and if you crack a window for ventilation, and if he’s got plenty of water, and if he’s a calm dog with no separation or car anxieties, it might work out okay. I’d still check on him at least once, though.
Why would you take a chance? The best thing to do is leave him at home. How would you feel if you came out from dinner and the dog was dead?
I think the SDSAB should do some empirical experiments and report their findings to the SPCA for future reference. Also, how many minks does it take to make a whole coat?
Something to be aware of is that your dog may be just fine, but a passerby might think doggy is in distress and proceed to break into the car to let him out. It’s happened before.
Good idea to avoid it if you can, if you can’t then check him regularly.
Crack two windows so if there is any breeze in any direction, he is likely to get some from either side.
If any passersby see that the dog has water and proper ventilation, they are most likely to leave him alone.
But, in any event, interrupt your meal at least a couple of times to check on him.You would if they were yuor kids, right!
Crack FOUR windows.
And if the sun is still up. Find some shade for your car.
Definitive answer: It depends.
I have parked my car in the shade with windows at half mast and left my dog like that for a while. But I know my dog.
OTOH, I have seen brachycephalic dogs (bulldogs, pugs, etc) that have collapsed and died after running across the back yard on a hot humid day.
I keep a cat carrier in my car at all times. One time I went shopping and left the carrier in the back - empty, of course, although it had a lumped-up brown towel in it. Looked kind of like a kitty curled up in the back. When I came out there was a crowd around my car, with a police officer, and someone with a hammer (who must have arrived before the police). He had been ready to smash the window and had gathered a group, one of whom called the police. So now I still keep the carrier in there but there is a sign on it in huge font saying “NO ANIMALS INSIDE! Carrier is empty. Please call (cell #) if you are worried. Thanks for your concern!”
Depending on if the sun is out and if it’s humid at all, even 70 degrees can get mighty hot very quickly inside a car. Can you not leave him at home, or go to a restaurant that has an outdoor seating area near a place where you can tie him up outside?
You could leave the car running and the A/C on.
Down here in Texas, if your dog won’t stay in the bed of the pickup, or in the car with all the windows rolled all the way down, we don’t bring the dog. Dumb dogs are less tolerated here.
I personally trust my car quite a great deal, but I nonetheless would hate to risk an unpleasant occurence with my pets to the off chance that my car stalled or had an AC failure.
Food for thought.
Even if the dog is fine, you may have to worry about the broken windows. Around here, there are dozens of people who will break a window if they see a dog locked in a car for any period of time. A few of them would happily key your paintjob and take the dog. Others would call the cops. Leaving the dog in the car is a bad idea.
When I lived in LA I kept a dog in my car when possible, to avoid car theft. Also to prevent being hijacked while driving. When parked, I left all windows down about four inches and ALWAYS kept water with him, and checked on him at least every half-hour.
That pooch and I lived together almost 14 years. He finally kicked the bucket at home, in my arms. Old age, the vet told me. Sniff. 
Don’t leave your dog in your car while you are elsewhere. Ever. Just. Don’t. Do It.
The interior temperature of a car rises about 3 degree every five minutes. Assuming it is 70F when you walk away from the car, in an hour that temp will be above 110 degrees in the daytime. Cite
I have no idea why you think it would be best to bring the dog along to dinner and then leave him in the car while you eat, rather than leave him at home, but ask yourself: Would I do this to a child?
You either didn’t read the page you cite or failed to comprehend what’s being proposed in the OP. Your link discusses how fast a car will heat up in the daylight sun. This thread discusses a nighttime situation. Kneejerk answers aren’t real helpful.
Cars don’t magically heat above outside temperature*, unless (a) the heater is on; or (b) sun shining through the windows turns the car into a greenhouse.
*Yeah, okay, the dog’s body heat may warm the inside of a closed car a degree or two. The car here won’t be closed, and a degree or two won’t matter.
Thanks Random, et al.
Not that it matters, but I’ll answer the big question: Why?
Because we are leaving our home and heading off on a four hour drive upstate. We are meeting friends for dinner at a restaurant, about 1.5 hours from home. So if we end dinner at about 10 PM, if we leave the dog home, we arrive at 3:30 AM. If we take him we arrive at 12:30 AM.
BTW, while I appreciate the efforts to help, the extreme answers are a bit scary. For years my wife would drive to work on Fridays with the previous dog, leave her alone in the car except for a lunch hour walk, then meet me and we’d head upstate. No problems. Winter only, of course.
Forgot to mention. Since I don’t know what parking is like around this restaurant, the plan now is to print signs with my cell phone # and tape them to the window. I think I’ll also fill a tupperware container with water and freeze it and leave that with him.
New ideas always appreciated.
Sam and Bernie are out walking their dogs, and as it’s getting on toward dinner time, Sam asks Bernie if he wants to stop into a nearby restaurant. Bernie says, “They won’t let us in with the dogs!”
Sam says, “Put on your sunglasses and follow my lead.”
They walk into the restaurant and Sam asks to be seated. The host says, “I’m sorry sir, we don’t allow dogs inside.”
Sam says, “You don’t allow seeing-eye dogs?”
The host says, “I’m sorry, of course we do. Please follow me.”
He comes back and sees Bernie, and says, “I’m sorry, sir. We don’t allow dogs.”
“But this is my seeing-eye dog.”
“I’ve never seen a seeing-eye chihuahua before”
“They gave me a chihuahua?”
Moral of the story for the OP: wear your sunglasses, and bring the dog into the restaurant.
It wasn’t a kneejerk answer. I can’t fathom confining an animal to the interior of a car at all. Yes, I know it will be nighttime. I didn’t fail to read my cite or fail to comprehend the OP. The only thing I fail to understand is why anyone would do this.
Yes, Plan B, I just read your latest posts. I still don’t understand why anyone would willingly confine an animal for hours on end like that. Put the dog out in the yard, take him to a friend’s place with a yard… those things I can understand. Locking it in the car, I don’t get.
As it isn’t my dog, however, have a nice dinner. 