Last week, a 6 year old Maltese died after succumbing to temperatures reaching 140 degrees when locked inside his owner's van. Heriberto Palacio, the dog's owner, pleaded innocent to charges of animal cruelty because he claims he was unaware of the dangers from locking his dog inside the van when it was nearly 103 degrees out. It is also worth mentioning that the reason the dog was locked in the van was because the owner stopped off to go swimming. Personally, this is a complete cop out from taking responsibility for his stupidity. Unless you live at the North Pole, you would have to be a complete and utter idiot not to know of the risks from locking any pet inside a car when it is over 100 degrees. Would Mr. Palacio have locked a child in the car? Hopefully justice will be served on behalf of the poor Maltese, who officials confirmed the animal pretty much cooked to death.
In the mean time it is important to take precautions when dealing with hot weather. The NY Daily News published an article giving a refresher on tips to keeping your pets safe. I would suggest reading it because it does offer useful information.
Keeping your pets safe is common sense and entails simple things such as providing fresh water through out the day, keeping your pet home instead of taking him or her with you on errands, and limiting outdoor exercise no matter how active your pet may be. Basically, treat your pet like you would a child to avoid severe consequences from over exposure to the hot weather.
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