Is there any humane way to leave a dog in a car in the summer?

[Peregrine Took]

We stayed at a resort last month and the guy next door used to put his dog in the minivan when they went out to dinner (you couldn't leave pets in the unit unattended.)

He left the a/c running the whole time so the dog was comfortable and the van was all closed up. They would be gone an hour or two.

Is this a method many people adopt? I never heard of it before. Its better than tying him outside or leaving him in a hot car.

[undeterred]

1. Do you really want to leave your car running

when you're not there? I think the car might get stolen. I suppose it would be cool enough for the dog, but what if the a/c shut off?

I never ever leave my dog in the car when its warm out.

I know someone who had their sheltie disappear from their car on a hot day. They were going to come right back but probably someone thought the dog was being abused and they took it out of the car. They never saw it again.

[MadMaddie]

2. We take a portable dog pen and leave the dogs inside the

rooms.

Leaving the car running leaves the car as a potential theft with the dog inside. We actually purchased them for our Emergency Kits, so if we had to pick up and go we would have the pens.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Portable-Camping-Case-Cage/dp/B0025ZC29U

http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Indoor-Outdoor-Zebra-Medium/dp/B002ABPRYG

[glinda]

3. If the car stops running, your dog could be dead in just a few minutes.

I think it is better to ask the resort if you can kennel him in your room.

[Warpy]

5. Yes, in the bathroom if nowhere else

or in a carrier. It's the best way to do it, making sure both the dog and the facilities stay intact.

[LiberalFighter]

4. I would suggest getting it clarified as to whether unattended means free reign of the room.

Or if it also includes being crated in the room. As long as the dog is calm while crated and doesn't try to chew his way out that should be acceptable to the resort.

[undeterred]

6. Wausau woman arrested in Beloit after pitbull dies in car

Just saw this story...

BELOIT — A 24-year-old Wausau woman accused of allowing her dog to die in a sweltering car has been charged with felony mistreatment of an animal.

Walmart store employee called Beloit police about the dog shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday. When police responded, the temperature was 86 degrees outside and the pitbull was in “extreme distress,” according to the police report.

Anisha N. Butalla returned to the scene as rescuers tried to help the animal, which later died. She had left the dog in the vehicle for several hours while she was attending a court matter in Janesville, according to the police report. Police said Butalla was in town Tuesday morning because her boyfriend, Antonio Mance, is accused of a 2009 murder in Beloit. He had a motion hearing in the case at the same time Butalla left the dog in the car.

Butalla still is being held in the Rock County Jail on a $1,500 cash bond, facing felony charges of mistreating an animal causing death and bail jumping. She made an initial court appearance on Wednesday. Butalla was one of four people arrested in January in a crack cocaine bust in Wausau. She is scheduled to be sentenced July 15 in Marathon County on several drug charges.

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20100708/WDH0101/100708098/Woman-arrested-after-dog-dies-in-car

I'm glad someone at least tried to help and that the owner has been arrested. There are still people who don't know any better.

[eShirl]

7. best to go to a place that has kennel facilities there or nearby

When we visited Carlsbad Caverns back in 88, they had a reasonably-priced kennel... otherwise, traveling cross country by car with our cat, we wouldn't have gone on the tour...

[Dr.Phool]

8. Go to a restaurant with outside seating that allows dogs.

We've got several in the area. Sometimes I stop for a beer in the afternoon, and take the dog with me.

The barmaid brings her a water bowl and some ice. I share my lunch. Everybody is happy.

And the barmaid is well tipped.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. NO.

[badgerpup]

10. This works if you've got backup...

Taken my Wimsey shopping at The Store Which Must Not Be Named...
Had a friend with me...it was too cold to sit out in the car...Wimsey was coming home from a vet appointment and I had to stop and get him something. Friend and Wimsey (in his carrier) hung out in the entrance while I ran (well, OK, hobbled, shuffled, lurched) in and got the necessary items.
Couldn't take him in the store with me because he was a white cat in a black carrier and didn't understand the concept of "Keep a low profile" in this context. Though he used his polite "inside voice", his "Maow? Maow? (Can we get out of here please I don't like this carrier)" was audible and we'da gotten busted.

D'Artagnan, on the other hand, was a pro from the gitgo. We were coming home from getting him his microchip and needed to make a stop on the way home so as not to have to circle back.

Black cat in a black carrier, so if you tuck the carrier up under the 'seat', the eye sort of slides right over it, especially if the cat keeps quiet, which D'Artagnan did.:thumbsup:
I kept an eye on him (I could see his eyes) and he didn't seem scared. Alert, interested, but not frightened.
He'd have let me know in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS if he was frightened...:nuke: