When I was out today I noticed two small dogs yapping away in a car parked in full sun - the windows barely open. A couple of people were looking and scratching their heads about what to do about it. Half an hour later the car was still there so I went to the police station just round the corner. The station was of course closed. So I went back to the car to phone the police but the car had gone - phew.
Was I over reacting? What would you have done?

I would have done the same

dogs should NOT be left in cars in this weather - even with the window open a crack

there is SO MUCH in the internet at the moment about dogs having to be rescued from baking hot cars

when will people learn?

LEAVE YOUR POOR DOG AT HOME IN THIS WEATHER!

I do believe, if you see a dog in distress in a car, you can actually break in yourself without the police present

dogs can die in hot cars in a very short space of time!

I was prepared to break the window and suffer the consequences. Wish I had been there when they pulled off.

I 101% would have felt the same way, its irritating that there are dog owners like that. On the bright side maybe they didn't want their dogs left alone at their house?

There is no bright side to this.

Brick.

Ring the RSPCA and make sure they have the reg no and see what they advise. It happened to me a few years back at an outside shopping centre. They told me to go to the security office and the guys came prepared to smash the window, they'd done it before but the woman came out just before they did it and she was very abusive to them. The RSPA inspector was on her way but I rang to say the woman had gone and she said they would get the details from the police and if they could fit it in go round and speak to her.

It happened outside pets at home a couple of days later and I was just telling the staff who were going to put out an announcement when a woman overheard and scurried out. We had several words outside. Why do people always seem to think it's ok?

Makes me mad we came home from our holiday at 3am so we could avoid driving home in the heat because we didn't want our two to get too hot, then you get idiots like this

Apparently this phenomenon is even more widespread than is being reported.

There seems to be a lot of highly ignorant dog owners out there who are not aware a car left parked in warm sunshine and with the windows closed is virtually an oven. Sometimes you only have to touch a car like that and even the exterior is scalding hot, never mind the inside.

Mmmmm I like hot dogs.

Not dead wearing a fur coat

we don't even take our dogs for a walk until the temperature has dropped

Dogs should never be left in cars in hot weather. 10 minutes is all it takes for the inside of a car, even on a not particularly sunny day, to rise to a temperature that is lethal. Leaving windows wound down, parking in the shade and leaving a bowl of water out isn't enough, a dog will still overheat very quickly as the car basically becomes an oven getting hotter and hotter. It's not a painless quick death either, quite the opposite it causes a great deal of stress and suffering with many dogs causing themselves serious injury in their frantic efforts to escape . There is no excuse for leaving a dog in a hot car ever.

I indeed we are the same but I see so many hot and panting dogs being walked in heat of the day. The pavements are too hot for bare feet !

You call police first according to RSPCA - they are not allowed to break a window without police presence, who will probably get there soonest anyway.

http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwel.../dogsinhotcars

Legal advice on breaking windows yourself here:- http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/...k-hot-11633237

I would've called the police first, people needs to understand that you can't leave your pets in the car!!!