Leaving a dog in a car with the AC on

In My Humble Opinion
1

I don’t make a regular practice of this, but I have run in places on hot days, and left the car running with the parking brake on, and all, so I could leave the AC running, because my dog was in the car. I’ve never left a dog for more than a few minutes, even with AC (and I don’t leave them in cold weather either), but I’ve been gone up to 5 minutes (I check my watch).

Here’s the thing that has happened already twice this summer, though:

I’ve got an electric car now, and you can’t hear when it’s on. There’s a little sound when the AC is on, but it’s not very loud, and you wouldn’t guess the noise is the car’s AC.

So twice I have come back to the car to be berated by strangers for leaving my dog in a “hot” car without even the windows cracked!

Once they shut up, I explained it’s electric, and the AC is on. The last person demanded that I open the car and prove it. I did, just so maybe she wouldn’t go on doing this to other people.

I’m worried someone is going to break one of my windows the next time I do this. I realize there’s the obvious “don’t do it,” but logistically, it’s messy; there really are occasional times I need to stop, and going home to drop off the dog, and going back would take about 40 minutes.

I guess I could leave a note in the window, but that just seems like a lot.

I feel somehow that I’m being stupid about this, and it shouldn’t be happening in the first place.

2

Wouldn’t it be easier to leave the windows partially open? It seems like the better answer.

3

The AC actually works better at keeping the dog cool though.

4

They’re not going to suffer in 5 minutes and it avoids the busybody concerned citizen issue.

5

Dogs evolved to live in cooler environments and have a higher median body temperature than humans. Because their only cooling methods are vasodilation and evaporation by panting, they can suffer heatstroke in minutes. Although leaving the air conditioning on is effective, it isn’t apparent to a would-be ‘Good Samaritan’ (or the police officer they might summon) that this is the case.

Stranger

6

A sign in the window will should do the trick.

7

Actually, she could, considering that in July & August, it’s mostly in the 90s, and will get over 100 some afternoons.

I guess I’ll use a sign-- Electric car-- AC is on, dog is fine

8

Couldn’t you just keep a sign in the car you could slap on the window when you leave? I saw one once that said something like, “The AC is on, he has water, and he’s listening to his favorite band. BRB.” You could add, “It’s an electric car. You can’t hear it running.”

9

IMHO…leave the dog home.
Unless it’s a service animal or going to the vet. Leave it home.

If you’re going to the dog park or grooming. Make your errands ahead of time.
If you’re just jumping out to pick up a cold drink, there’s the drive thru. Or bring one from home.

If you’ve already been accosted twice I see your window broken or police called. That’s a kerfuffle easily fixed. Don’t take the dog. There are many ways around it.

The noise on social media about this have half the world looking for YouTube fodder.
I wouldn’t do it.

10

I’ve seen that done and, if you regularly do errands with your dog in the car, it probably makes sense to do that.

Tesla has a dog mode which covers this:

That said, cars can heat up fast in the sun. The problem arises when the dog owner thinks they will only be in the store for five minutes but end up taking 20 minutes. Temps inside the car can skyrocket in that time and do-gooders seeing your dog in the car have no idea if you left a minute or 20 minutes ago. You may well return to find a police officer has broken your window.

11

Everyone’s suggestion of a sign is good, but maybe take a page from Tesla and also add a thermometer. This big one is $8.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/AcuRite-Indoor-Outdoor-Assorted-colors-Thermometer/1000161989

12

That’s excellent

13

This problem is a combination of two facts. One, dogs overheat in closed cars on hot days and DIE, very quickly. I once found a dog in dire distress in such a situation and several people and I were just about to break the window when the owners appeared (had no idea of fact #1). The dog had shat all over the car in its panic. Call me a busybody if you like.

Two, people are morons on both sides. I once left my two dogs in their travel crates in my locked minivan, we were on a road trip and had stopped at a restaurant for dinner. This was at night. Came back to a hysterical note left on the windshield about how my dogs were suffocating with car windows rolled all the way up. No oxygen! They certainly would have been stolen I mean rescued if the car had been unlocked.

14

OK, fair enough. The sign will hopefully help a lot.

15

Cracking the windows can help but only for a time (an hour or so). And the car will be heating the whole time so I would not suggest waiting an hour is ok either.

If you absolutely know you will be back in minutes (e.g. picking up your dry cleaning) then fine.

16

I would never confront of berate you (or drop a dime on you), but MY mind goes to the two low probability, high consequence things that could – as a theoretical possibility – occur, and which would combine to cause a catastrophe:

  • I’m delayed in the store (or wherever I’ve “just run in” to) and
  • The car … dies.

Then we’re back to how quickly things can go badly.

I was a motorcycle rider. Lots of motorcycle riders built little travel crates and took their fur babies along for the ride as if they were passengers. To each their own, but … not me.

17

I don’t know, but I was told long ago never leave a car running for any reason to run in a store “for a minute”
Cars get stolen easily, like that.
I know some cars can now be locked running. But glass breaks, thief drives into the night and you’re standing there looking stupid.

I saw a case on the local news, woman ran in to pay ahead for gas, her 2 babies in car seats in the back. She kindly left the AC running. Came out, car and babies gone. Guy just jumped in and drove.
Car with empty tank and two screaming babies found an hour later in a ditch off the highway.
Could’ve been way more tragic.

I often stay in the car with AC on while Ivy runs in a store. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone. Poor babies and pets have no voice to protest.
Think how you’d like it and would you like it. Especially if you don’t understand why you’re alone in a scary running machine and minimal AC and weird people looking in at you with angry faces.

Don’t do it.

18

I’ve left my dog(s) in my Jeep with yhe air conditioner running for a few minutes. The last time I did this I was confronted by a concerned citizen.

I thanked her for her concern, but explained that my ac was on. She countered with, sure but what if your engine stopped for some reason? I thought about it and told her she was right.

19

believe me, no one is stealing it with the dog in it

20

Many newer cars allow their temperature to be monitored remotely, and you can be sure if I’ve left someone in the car with the AC on, I’ll be monitoring the app pretty closely. Of course the tragedies occur when multiple things go wrong—I was only planning to be gone for a minute, but then I got an important work call, so I wasn’t looking at the app, and the AC chose that minute to go out, and 30 minutes later…

I think leaving awake and aware adults behind is not that big of a deal, but someone napping, and that exhaust leak you haven’t fixed…