spcaLA Offers Tips to Keep Your Pets Cool

Temperatures are on the rise this week in Los Angeles for the first time, but certainly not this last, this summer. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) reminds people NOT to leave pets or children unattended in cars. Even a quick trip to the store can become deadly.

On a hot day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar up to 160 degrees. This temperature is hot enough to cause heat stroke and permanent brain damage in children or pets.

Dogs and cats' normal temperatures are several degrees higher than those of humans. Animals confined in a car, yard, or dog run, with no protection from the heat and without ample water are more susceptible to heat stroke than humans.

Dogs with flat faces (like Pugs or English Bulldogs), obese dogs, and ones with heavy coats all face an even greater risk of overheating. It is important to realize that just like humans, not all dogs deal with heat the same way.

"Unlike humans, dogs do not sweat. Instead, they lose heat through their tongues, nose, and footpads so it's important to take extra precautions on hot days," says spcaLA President Madeline Bernstein.

California Penal Code 597.7 states it is illegal to "leave or confine an animal in any unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or wellbeing of an animal due to heat..." This law also authorizes the proper authority to "take all steps that are reasonably necessary for the removal of an animal from a motor vehicle, including, but not limited to, breaking into the motor vehicle..."

If you see an animal overheating in a locked vehicle, take down the make, model, and license plate and have the owner paged in nearby shops.

Contact spcaLA's Humane Officers at 800-540-SPCA (7722) or the local police department immediately.

Since 1877, spcaLA has been the premiere independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California. There is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides financial support to spcaLA. Donations run programs and services including Cruelty Investigation, Disaster Animal Response Team, Humane Education, and a variety of shelter services.