Leaving Pets in Hot, Unattended Vehicles Is Inhumane, Illegal

Julie Brown-Patton, editor of the Eureka-Wildwood Patch, walked out to her car after a recent meeting at Barnes & Noble in Crestwood and found a Maltese dog left unattended in the car next to hers. It was 86 degrees and the car was parked in the sun.

Patton shook her head and drove away, but out of concern for the dog, she turned around and drove back to the store. The dog was still there panting, sitting alone in the driver's seat. The owner had still not come out. Meanwhile, another customer pulled up and he and Patton waited to no avail. Finally, the other driver went into the store to talk to the manager and try and find the owner.

Unattended Pets in Lake Saint Louis

Although Lake Saint Louis ordinances don's specifically address the issue of animals left in cars, it does address the humane treatment of animals in the city:

"The owner and/or custodian of a dog, cat or other animal shall provide humane shelter from heat, cold, rain, snow or other conditions that could be harmful to the animal and they shall provide the animal adequate food and drink to maintain the animal in good health and shall not treat such animal in a cruel and inhumane manner.  Violations of this Section shall constitute a public nuisance."

Captain Chris Digiuseppi, assistant chief of the Lake Saint Louis Police Department said, "We deal with some pet problems as in people leaving pets in cars when it's too hot. We have had four or five in the last few weeks."

Digiuseppi said that officers respond to calls about pets left in cars, it's usually in the parking lot of a business. By the time police get there, the car is gone. When that isn't the case, officers will try to find the owner in a nearby shop or store. Digiuseppi said that although none of this year's cases has resulted in a ticket for the owner, the department did issue one such ticket last year.

Humane Society Guidelines

The Humane Society of Missouri cautions pet owners against leaving their pets unattended in vehicles when temperates are above 70 degrees. It estimates that at 72 degrees, the temperature in a car can reach 116 degrees, even with the windows cracked. 

The most common signs a pet is in distress are excessive panting, seizures, unresponsiveness and collapse, said Ann McLaughlin, chief investigator for the St. Louis Division of the Humane Society's Animal Cruelty Task Force. But it's the signs you don't see that are much more life threatening.

"A few years ago, we did an autopsy on a Shar-pei that was left in an unattended vehicle, and the dog's liver got so hot, it was the consistency of a cooked liver," she said. "Being left in a hot car is like being in a microwave for an animal." 

Panting is the main mechanism dogs have to cool themselves down because dogs only excrete a minimal amount of sweat through their paw pads, McLaughlin said.

"The main concern is when dogs are breathing in air that is hotter than their body temperature, which is normally around 101 degrees," she said. "That's the point where changes start taking place in internal organs, such as the liver."

McLaughlin said the first thing someone should do if they find an animal who may be in danger is to call the police and then call the society's Animal Abuse Hotline at 314-647-4400.

"The police will get there first since we only have five investigators for all of St. Louis city and county," she said. "But it's our job to make sure those animals receive the help they need."

For more tips on keeping pets safe during the hot weather months, visit the society's website.