Dog left in hot car on 97 degree day (Opinion)

You can’t fix stupid.

When will people understand you can’t leave a dog or a young child alone in a hot car? Hundreds of pets die this way every year. Here’s a story about a dog that got lucky.

One day last week someone in a parking lot in Hanover outside of Lowes noticed a dog left in a car according to police. The outside air temperature? 97 degrees. Authorities say the bystander reported the dog panting heavily and a window slightly cracked open.

When all was said and done police arrested 18 year old Jared Feldman and charged him with animal cruelty. According to NJ.com police released a statement saying the dog was in the car approximately half an hour.

How deadly can the inside of a car get on a hot day? According to a chart from BarkPost.com if the outside air temperature is only 75 degrees the interior of a car can reach 109 degrees in 30 minutes. What about the Hanover case where it was 97 degrees outside? The chart shows at 95 degrees the inside of a car can reach 129 degrees in 30 minutes, so you can imagine.

What I never understood is why people feel compelled to bring their dogs with them on errands. It’s a dog. It should be able to be left at home for a couple hours. People who are so emotionally dysfunctional that they must bring their dogs with them everywhere they go need to realize a hot car means death. If you’re leaving your dog in one you neither love it nor deserve it.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.