A photo posted at 3:02 p.m. to Twitter by Burien PD shows the overheated dog in the arms of a C.A.R.E.S. worker. The poor pet was locked inside a baking 103 degree car for over 2 hours.
Courtesy of the Burien PD.
The Burien Police Department took to social media on Saturday to give a wag of the finger to a pet owner whose dog they had to rescue from a hot car. With temperatures around the greater Seattle area reaching 82 degrees the inside of the vehicle in which the pet was locked was a blistering 103 degrees.
Officers were contacted by a concerned shopper about the vehicle which was parked near the Burien Library on 152 S.W. and 4 S.W. By the time officers arrived the overheated pet had been in the car for over two hours. Checking the vehicle quickly the officers found that a door was unlocked, making it unnecessary for them to break a window to extricate the pet.
The dog was taken into custody and turned over to the Burien C.A.R.E.S. organization, the animal control authority for the city. A citation was written and left with the pet owner’s vehicle.
During the summer months the temperatures inside of locked cars increases dramatically from that outside. For example, given the right conditions and lack of shade, if the outside temperature is 78 degrees the inside of a vehicle can reach between 100 to 120 degrees.
Pets and children being locked in overheated vehicles have grabbed a lot of attention in the last few years. As of May 14 Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law The Prevention to Animal Cruelty bill, or SSB5501, giving more discretion to officers who confront an animal locked in a car and limiting the liability facing the department for damages to the vehicle to get the pet out. This law also created an infraction penalty of up to $125.
It is unknown how large the infraction given to this pet owner was but officers fully plan to be on the lookout for those who leave their children or pets in overheated vehicles this summer.
“Never leave kids or pets in your car. If it’s 80 degrees outside it’s 130 degrees inside a car. We will not give anyone a break” said Cpt. Bryan Howard of the Burien PD over Twitter.
For citizens who spot an animal locked in a car breaking a window or trying to enter the vehicle is not recommended. Instead call the police and give the make, model and license plate number of the vehicle and if at all possible wait by the car until the authorities arrive.
