# Leaving a dog in a car with the AC on **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 16, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956 "2024-06-16T20:25:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/41 "2024-06-17T19:51:26Z")
I was getting out at the Dialysis clinic early this morning. Parked in the same treeless lot was a pickup truck with two retriever type dogs. Black. Tied in the back of the truck. Also Black. It’s June. In Arkansas. Already very warm. The dogs were panting. I imagined boiled dog. Burnt foot pads. Dogs trying to jump out and hung on the chains. I hoped so much the person wasn’t having dialysis. That takes awhile. Oh god, what to do? I sent Ivy out a few times to check if the truck was still there and to take water to them. The 3rd time, I think I’m gonna call someone if she comes back and says the truck is still there. It was gone. Then I worried, oh crap, where are they going now?.. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/42 "2024-06-17T19:57:20Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Electric vehicles like the Tesla with “dog mode” discussed above aren’t exactly “running”. The AC will operate to keep the pet cool, but otherwise are essentially off, and I would assume can’t actually be driven if you don’t have the key. Correct. It’s just keeping the vehicle in a certain temperature range. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Parked in the same treeless lot was a pickup truck with two retriever type dogs. Black. > Tied in the back of the truck. Also Black. OK, but this thread is about dogs inside the car with the air conditioner on. We can all agree that it’s not good to have dogs tied up outside in the direct heat without water in a pickup or a yard. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/43 "2024-06-17T20:00:44Z")
Along with the sign and the thermometer, can you put ribbons on your vents that will blow around while the fan is on? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/44 "2024-06-17T20:00:47Z")
The really bad part about tying up dogs in the back of a pickup truck, in direct sustained sun, is the potential (even likely) burn damage to their paws. I don’t know what to say about someone who’d do that to their dogs. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/45 "2024-06-17T20:05:49Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Wouldn’t it be easier to leave the windows partially open? It seems like the better answer . Down here (New Orleans area), a car with partially open windows (3" to 4") is only marginally cooler than a car with the windows rolled up. I don’t know the science about why partial-window-opening doesn’t help cool the car more, but in 90+ degree heat, high humidity, and no shade … it makes little apparent difference. Heck, this past weekend I stopped by my parents’ house in suburban N.O. I visited about two hours and left the windows ALL the way down while parked in front. For whatever reason (radiant hearing off the dash and other hard surfaces?), the inside of the car was _still_ far hotter than the ambient air temperature. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/46 "2024-06-17T20:10:12Z")
She said 5 minutes only, I’m sorry Discourse didn’t include her post in my reply, but for 5 minutes, the pup is not going to get sick. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > but I’ve been gone up to 5 minutes (I check my watch). I mean it is in the OP. I was not suggesting it for a longish time. This is like the third counter to my brief post that ignored that key detail. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/47 "2024-06-17T20:51:05Z")
If it’s really five minutes and nothing unexpected happens that delays you. That’s the concern. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/48 "2024-06-17T21:04:10Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I mean it is in the OP. I was not suggesting it for a longish time. No doubt. I had thought that the time elapsed was more or less irrelevant because passers-by wouldn’t know. To be a little clearer: If someone happens upon a dog locked in a sun-beaten car _ **around here** _ … because of everyone locally being familiar with super-heating in cars, the worst will commonly be assumed. Perhaps for that reason, leaving dogs in cars is uncommon around here. Just not part of the local culture. To be clearer #2: No judgment on the OP intended in any of my reponses to this thread. My main point is that we Southerners can perhaps be jumpier than our Northern neighbors about hot cars (I was picking that up in **Beck** ’s responses). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/49 "2024-06-17T21:35:35Z")
I was just submitting this as a point. People who think, “oh, it’s ok if Rover wants to go, it’s not that hot” Many people can be very stupid. Maybe the truck owner was going to take them to the Vet after his errand. ??? Rightly, I believe, people here get real nervous when they see dogs in cars or trucks in the summer. And I never like to see dogs in truck beds, chained. That is seriously bad ju-ju. Don’t do that. I wish it was a law. I still see people in truck beds. Come on people, are you nuts? I think further, it should be citable if your dog is discovered alone inside your car. Leave the dog home. Unless he’s in your presence at all times. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/50 "2024-06-17T21:55:57Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I think further, it should be citable if your dog is discovered alone inside your car. > Leave the dog home. Unless he’s in your presence at all times. Have you at all been paying attention? Electric cars and hybrid cars can maintain a temperature that is completely safe and comfortable for dogs. For several hours minimum. In desert climates it’s going to be much less expensive than keeping your air conditioner on at home. You are out of your depth. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/51 "2024-06-17T22:11:08Z")
The OP is talking about people assuming the car is off. They’ve been bothered _twice_ already. Seems to me lots of folks are “out of their depth” with me. Broken glass, cops called, dog and owner scared to death? Hmm? Guess all those people should stay in their depth. 'Cause we are just not as enlightened and informed. Dumb us. “Sorry, person, we broke your car glass and now your dog ran away. Cops are here, maybe they’ll look for him for you!” Damn, wish I had read that Tesla info sheet now even though I’m not in the \*3% of people who own them. \*WAG ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/52 "2024-06-17T22:13:33Z")
Moderating: > [@hajario](#): > > Have you at all been paying attention? > [@hajario](#): > > You are out of your depth. While I have little patience with hijacks, I have even less with posters taking swipes at other posters. If you think someone is not following our rules, please report. Don’t disparage the object of your displeasure in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/53 "2024-06-17T22:30:05Z")
I am glad they have cars like that now. I would worry that what if I slip and fall in the store? But I worry too much. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/54 "2024-06-17T22:36:02Z")
It’s not just Teslas. Over 16% of cars sold last year were EVs, hybrids or plug in hybrids. That’s a couple million cars, not evenly distributed of course. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/55 "2024-06-17T22:41:37Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > 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. Last year we had a police K-9 die under exactly that circumstance. The police SUV’s for the K-9 officers have a “dog mode” that keeps the canine officer comfortably cool while the human partner is doing something else. The system failed and the dog died of heatstroke. Like you said - low probability, high consequence. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/56 "2024-06-17T22:45:14Z")
I realize they are not all Teslas. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/57 "2024-06-17T22:53:03Z")
When Priuses were new over 20 years ago, people legitimately had no idea and you’d see handmade signs in the side windows explaining the situation. Now the newer cars say what’s going on on the screens in very large font. If you have an old hybrid in an area where they are rare, you’d be best served to go old school with a sign. There is no reason someone can’t stop at the store on the way back from the dog park or beach or friend’s house where they bring their dog to play with the friend’s dog. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/58 "2024-06-18T00:14:26Z")
20 years ago people thought it was fine to leave a kid in a carseat to pop in a store after an outing. One death is one too many. Same with _my_ pet. I don’t want that. I can’t imagine anyone does. Again, if the OP has had 2 encounters with concerned/nosy citizens, maybe, just maybe they live in an area where it’s not understood the car is running. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/59 "2024-06-18T00:42:41Z")
Leaving any animal unattended in any vehicle, under any conditions, in Washington State is a civil violation. The maximum penalty and the default amount for a class 2 civil infraction shall be $125, not including statutory assessments. You can also be charged with animal cruelty, a Class C felony. Leaving a vehicle unattended with the engine running carries different penalties, depending upon what happens to the vehicle. I’m aware of one incident (it wasn’t me) where the unattended vehicle was stolen and the owner’s insurance carrier did not cover the loss. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956/60 "2024-06-18T00:51:51Z")
I was skeptical so I looked it up and that’s not true. The law is (emphasis mine) > It is a class 2 civil infraction under RCW 7.80. 120 to leave or confine any animal unattended in a motor vehicle or enclosed space **if the animal could be harmed or killed by exposure to excessive heat, cold, lack of ventilation, or lack of necessary water**. so it is probably fine at night, on a cool day with the windows open or in a hybrid or EV with the AC on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-in-a-car-with-the-ac-on/1002956.md?page=4)