Woman angry about a dog in a hot car

[Anna]

I went to library today w my kids.  I was in the sci fi section - when all of a sudden I hear a VERY loud woman asking everyone in her path - if someone owned a nissan suv with a dog in the car.  

(Just a overview.  The temp is 87 - but really really humid.)

I heard a man - asking if the windows were rolled down?  the woman replied that the windows were rolled down but that it didn't matter b/c it was so hot and that the person needed to take their dog home.  I think then - asking people individually wasn't working - so she started almost yelling.  she proceeded to stomp thru the library - asking this repeatedly

 

Now - I'm not saying this woman's actions were wrong.  I have never left my pup in the car(but my main reason is that he can't be trusted to do so and also I would never leave a dog in a hot car) but I really think that she could have handled herself better.  Most people were staring at her and giving really odd looks and muttering that - it wasn't any of her business.

I think there are a couple issues here. 

1.  Its the library (where its really quiet). 

2. 87 degrees (which is not unbearably hot)  but very humid

3.  she wasn't "asking"   She seemed really confrontational. 

 

I tried to think - what would have been a better way..  I was thinking - maybe talking to someone in the library = who could make some sort of an announcement or maybe call the police or maybe leave a note - I don't know.  I know it can be very bad for the dog - but I feel like this woman came off as - one of those crazy obsessive pet people - on a war path.

 

I myself did not see the dog or the car.

what do you guys think would have been the right thing to do?

  

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Nice job Heather!!

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

Here are a couple of stories.  The second one is very sad and disgusting. 

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20110714-NEWS-107140392

http://www.thedogfiles.com/2011/06/29/uk-police-dogs-die-in-hot-car...

 

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

A small sample from the news, there are thousands more.  Note that in two of these young CHILDREN were also left in the car.

 

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/267521/3/Four-children-and-dog-lehttp://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/jul/17/further-punishment-n...ft-in-hot-car

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110715/O...

 

Obviously theses people do not realize that they are putting the children and animals in harms way.  That is why we must make everyone aware of this danger.   

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I would have told the front desk - I have done that before and found the owner. 

87 degrees can kill.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Ever been at a public place and they announce will the owner of such and such car please come to customer service? We did this at a grocery store-waited up there and asked her to please take her 2 dogs home before we call the police! It was in the 90's and the windows were only cracked they both were looking out the window for her and their tongues were hanging to the side. Who knows how long she's been in there or how long she would be. She said it really wasn't any of our business and then my DH took his cell phone out to call police and she left her cart and went out there, the car was gone when we finished. Now if we see this the 1st thing we do is get the plate number for sure. We've seen kids in there it doesn't mattert the age when it's this hot. WHY do they take them with at all?? We NEVER leave the doodles in the car ever by themselves just because we don't trust anyone and what would I do if someone stole them? If we go somewhere with them and have to stop somewhere else one of us stays in the car with them with the keys to adjust the temp as needed. Now today I'm sitting here thinking I have to go to the bank and to the store. My doodles love going to the bank drive thru with me to get biscuits. So my plan was to take them to the bank, bring them home and go to the grocery store-WTD? How hard is it  for people? It will be 88 today-they don't even like to walk to go potty in this weather. I think the lady should have just called the police and waited in her car OR tell the front desk and they may have called the cops-but way too many people either don't care or don't want to get involved-or the owners just don't think! And really if someone was flipping out like that, who's gonna raise their hand and say it's me????

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I don't know if libraries have the equipment to make a public announcement like the pet stores do. I haven't been to a library lately though maybe things have changed.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I've waited and watched too and I also put the card that I posted earlier in this discussion on on their windshield. It's a "wake-up" call for the owner.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I think I actually encountered the Queen of the Crazy Ladies a couple of weeks ago. Tara and I were sitting in the car in the parking lot of a store. DH ran in to grab a couple things. We are in the shade with the windows down and it's about 75 degrees out.  I'm in the front, Tara's in the back hanging out the window watching for DH. I hear a car pulling into the space next to us and then hear a loud "OH NO!!!".  I'm thinking" WTD!!! Is she going to crash into me or what??" Next thing I know there is a woman standing at my window giving me the "what for" for leaving Tara in a hot car!!! YES!! I said "I'm HEEEERE!" but it didn't seem to matter to her! Apparently I appeared to her to be too stupid to figure out whether or not my dog was having a heat stroke on the sit right behind me!! Or as Laurie says I looked like an "idoit" LOL!!!! 

 

Anyhow, I nominate her for the crown!

[Anna]

I agree with what everyone is saying - that high temp is very harmful to pups.  And again - I would never leave a pup in a hot car. 

 

But I really don't think - acting like that is the right thing to do.

The woman didn't come off as a caring pet lover.  She came off as a obnoxious, obessive loud mouth.

 

And I feel like - bc there was a smarter, more effective way to handle this kind of situation (library personnel,police) her actions hurt - the perceptions of dog owners. 

I know everyone here are animal lovers - but that doesn't mean that we stop being "human lovers"  If there are better ways to handle these kinds of situations - then I think we need to stop being OK - being perceived as impulsive crazy pet lady.  No one knows what the situation was.  A person could have just stopped by to pick up a book and the pup has massive separation anxiety .. the windows were down, there was a water bowl etc... (just making it up)  I think we need to be respectful to people and not jump to conclusions go on a war path - everytime we see something like this. 

 

of course - if it is like 90 degrees out and windows were rolled up and the dog owner didn't come back soon - of course I would call the police myself.  And I would let the police handle it.  Not start screaming at the owner. 

 

Just my two cents.  

 

[Kate C Pappas]

It might have been 87 outside but inside it's MUCH hotter.It might have been a library but a child or animal can die in minutes if left in a hot car.  I would have yelled as loud as I could to find the moron who left that dog in the car or gone and broken a window and called the authorities.

I had this very same thing happen to me a couple years ago and as I was about to break the car window, a woman came running towards me yelling at me to get away from her $%%#  car....blah blah..I had taken quick pix of the little Cocker Spaniel panting like crazy and pacing on the back seat looking like he was going to keel over, his tongue hanging out and just getting swollen.

I tried telling her I was concerned about her dog when she hit me over the head with a large bouquet of roses (I was at a cemetery visiting a gravesite). As I put my hand up in shock, she hit me again and when she went to hit me the third time, I had grabbed her arm and I have quite a grip and warned her that if she even looked like she was going to hit me, SHE WAS GOING DOWN! She raced into her car and peeled out but I had gotten the plate of the car and called the police and filed a report.

I had to go to court for a deposition and file charges against her and that was all that was asked of me so I don't know what happened to her.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Kate, you have really brought home what an emotionally charged issue this is!  I have had friends tell me of being approached by people in parking lots concerned about my friends' dogs being in  hot cars. And my friends are not calm when they recall the incident.  Maybe something about human egos and having their judgment questioned? At that point they lose the perspective of right or wrong and just become angry? I've never heard of anyone who was grateful to have it pointed out to them that they are putting their dogs lives at risk!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Most people are not grateful to get any kind of unsolicited advice, and sometimes even when they invite advice, as here in the forum, they are insulted by the responses. A great many people seem to feel that if you do not agree with their choices, you are attacking them personally.