SHERRY DAVIS: Too hot for dogs
| Sunday, May 09 2010 02:51 PM
Last Updated Sunday, May 09 2010 02:51 PM
Every year, dogs die from becoming overheated in closed vehicles. Even on a mild day (75 to 80 degrees), the temperature inside a car can reach 140 degrees or more very quickly.
Cracking the windows open will not prevent heat build-up.
There are some dogs that, by nature of their physical structure, have less tolerance to heat. Breeds such as Bulldogs, Pugs and Boxers suffer because of their short faces. Dogs that have high body mass, older dogs and overweight dogs are at increased risk, too.
A normal temperature for a dog is 101-102.5. Dogs cool themselves by panting, and when too warm, going to stress, or in panic, they pant harder. Their temperature will rise rapidly. Control of body temperature is lost with cell damage occurring at 108 degrees. Severe hyperthermia can result in kidney and liver failure, brain dysfunction and heart failure. Heatstroke is an emergency and can cause permanent damage or death!
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On Tuesday, there was a letter to the editor from a lady who was warned by a police officer that it was against the law to drive with a dog in her lap. The woman was annoyed that with all the important issues that needed attention, the government was wasting its time on another frivolous law.
Yes, I, too, am irritated we have to have another law - for something that should be common sense! It's just one more thing self-absorbed drivers do to endanger other people's lives (like the girl who drives up Oak Street every day with her coffee in her left hand while she texts with her right). I love my dogs to death, but I sure don't want them attached to my body when I'm driving.
If I become distracted, I might miss those no-hands drivers who are trying to kill me.
If you are in a collision and your airbag inflates, a little dog (the owner said hers weighs 3 pounds) will be killed immediately. Loose on the seat, the dog will fly head first into the dashboard or if a door comes open, onto the street. If you care about your dog's safety, it should be restrained in a carrier, a seat belt or dog car seat. Do not tie a dog to the seat with a neck collar as it could suffer severe damage if thrown against it.
Speaking of the law, I was at the Park at River Walk last week and was horrified to see the piles of dog poop, many within a few steps of the bag dispensers (at a cost of $630 each, not counting bags).
Here is an area where we need true law enforcement. I think the fine for allowing your dog to eliminate in a public place and not cleaning it up should be raised to an amount so stiff (triple digits!) that police officers would take delight in handing citations out, instead of seeing this as low priority. I was there between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and saw several police cars circulating as usual. Judging by the amount of dog waste I see all over Bakersfield, if the fines were high, and the litter law enforced, maybe the city could actually make some money off dog poop!
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Much has already been written about the heinous treatment of England, the pit bull that was hog-tied and left by the road. Tragic story with a fairytale ending. England is well, will surely get a wonderful home and has already become a national celebrity. Katheryn Heigel gets a paws up from me (a fan since Roswell).
But, I had a bittersweet reaction to this grand celebration. As I watched Animal Control's Guy Shaw vehemently proclaim his determination to seek the highest penalty in the prosecution of England's tormentor, I wondered if he was sighing in relief that this "big" story distracted the public's attention from the local story of a few days earlier. The one about the "other pit bull."
The pit bull that wasn't so lucky.
The one that Animal Control put down, by mistake, before the owners could get there to pick him up. I want to know how the investigation into that young dog's death is going. A tragic story with a not-so-happy ending.
Sherry Davis is a dog trainer/owner of CSI 4 K9s. E-mail her at doglady@bakersfield.com. These are her opinions and not necessarily those of The Californian.
