Cars, Dogs and Heat: How Far Is Too Far?

"Lomac" (lomac) 07/28/2015 at 19:20 • Filed to: None

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So today a video involving someone who had left their dog in a car went viral around Vancouver.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/07/angry-…

The video has since been taken down, but the story still exists in that link. I’m sure we all have people in our lives who constantly remind you to never leave your pet (or child) in a car with the windows barely cracked. And on the whole, I generally agree with such sentiment. If you’re going shopping or plan on leaving the car for more than a minute or two, make sure the windows are at least wide open. However, I recently happened to experience a situation with my own dog that seemed to take this concept a little too far.

(As posted from my local car club forum)

“I don’t agree with what that guy did, and people who leave their pets in their car while doing shopping or some other shit annoys the crap out of me.

However, there is a flip side to this that I experienced a few weeks back.

Was driving on the Coquihalla after a trip with my dog. He started whimpering a bit, which is usually a good indication that he has to go to the washroom. As I had to do the same, I found a trucker’s rest stop right off the side of the highway that also gets used by your standard traveller. I put my dog on a leash and let him do his business. Afterwards, I put him back in the car, opened all four windows as far down as they could go - as well as the sunroof, set a bowl of ice water on the backseat for him (had a cooler to keep all my food nice and cool during the drive, hence why I had ice in the middle of nowhere) and wrote a quick note that I placed on the dash of my car stating the time - seconds included - that I left the car. I even took a picture of it with my phone, ensuring to hard stamp the time into the picture. Sounds extreme, I know, but I wanted physical and visual proof of what I had done. Normally I would have left him tied off somewhere outside, but it was literally right off a highway where the speed limit is 120km/hr, the parking lot was very active with vehicles coming and going nonstop, and it was a busy time of day on the road. Plus there were literally no places to tie a leash to. I didn’t want to risk him getting loose and wandering into traffic, especially since my girlfriend’s daughter just lost her own dog a couple months prior.

Now, it’s a big enough rest stop that there’s usually no lines to wait in and this was no different. Not thirty seconds into the washroom, while in the middle of taking a piss, my 2-way alarm fob starts vibrating and screaming and generally freaking the fuck out, scaring the guy at the urinal next to me (side note: thank god there’s dividers in most urinals... pretty sure that guy sprayed the wall from jumping :lol). Stopping midstream, I run back outside. Both sirens on my car are blaring, some lady is standing next to the door she opened, and my dog (which, I should mention is a Red Nose Pitbull) is standing on my back seats, growling and barking ten kinds of hell at her. Normally he’s extremely friendly and insanely tolerant, but he’s also very, very protective of myself, my girlfriend, and her two daughters, so he doesn’t take too kindly at what he perceives to be intrusions of “his” property.

So of course the lady starts freaking out at me about how I shouldn’t have left my dog in the car under any circumstance. I politely listen to her for ten or so seconds before I point out that, 1) there’s a note on my car with a time on it, and I showed her that exactly one minute, thirty seconds had elapsed between my leaving and coming back, 2) the ice cubes in the bowl hadn’t even started melting yet, 3) the windows were all completely open, and 4) there were literally no places to tie a leash to outside. I even told her my dashcams would back my entire story up, should she decide to try to call the cops or SPCA or something. I asked her what I should have done differently given everything I had pointed out. She stared blankly at me for a minute, told me to fuck myself and stalked back to her car.

The kicker to this story? In the bed of her pickup truck was a dog [i]not even leashed down[/i].

:rolleyes:

Of course, in her defence, maybe she heard about my car fires and she was worried it might spontaneously combust while I was in the washroom? lol”

So my question to you, fellow Opponaughts, is whether it’s possible to take a thing like this too far or if this lady was still completely justified in her views?

bob and john > Lomac 07/28/2015 at 19:24

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oh, WAY too far. I’m with the guy in the story. i probably would have done the same3.

now, the lady with the un tied dog in the back? oh dear

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Lomac 07/28/2015 at 19:29

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if this lady was still completely justified in her views

Let’s go with no, for the sake of expedience. One can also point out that anybody being such an inquisibitch should have the courtesy and professionalism in their Stasi act to notice things like a motherfucking water bowl with ice in it. If you’re just being a buttinski enough to fuck with the man’s car and have hysterics and no more... well, that’s smacks of laziness on your way to high moral dudgeon.

Then again, that’s always *way* more about pretending to care more than actually caring in the least.

Rainbow > Lomac 07/28/2015 at 19:31

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If you take your dog anywhere, never leave it alone in the car unless you can ensure - with 100% certainty - that the temperature will remain between, say, 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, fuck you. That’s all I have to say about it.

If you see a dog locked in a hot car, break a window. Preferably by slamming the owner’s face against it. I don’t care that it’s illegal for now (and that better change soon) but I’m not going to let the poor thing die in such a shitty way.

E92M3 > Lomac 07/28/2015 at 20:01

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She sounds crazy. As long as ALL the windows were down, and it wasn’t more than 15-30 mins you’re fine as far as I’m concerned. It was 96 here today, and my dog with a big black coat wanted to go outside, and chose to lay in the sun (when there is ample shade). He didn’t even pant.

Birddog > Lomac 07/28/2015 at 20:59

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Sometimes a Dog owner does something stupid when mixing Dogs and Travelling. It’s true.

But, in reality, well..

There are too many people in this world that need a “cause”. They feel important by getting offended or outraged over someone elses actions. They enjoy it. Their lives are so pathetic that they have to make the lives of others miserable so they can hop on Facebook and feel good for a minute or two.

Meet my dog Lloyd Vader. We travel everywhere together. Even to work on weekends.

He and I have been assulted by these “do gooders” on many occasions.

No, never mind that the truck is running with the AC blasting, windows cracked, doors are unlocked and there’s a 3 gallon bucket of water on the back seat. You’re right Ms. Flabmaster. I really should have had an armed guard and an industrial Chiller in the bed.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > Lomac 07/28/2015 at 22:01

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Yeah I think a lot of these people are just looking to make a scene and don’t actually give a fuck about the dog... (like the internet tough guy talking about breaking people’s face on the window)

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Lomac 07/29/2015 at 07:53

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I’m gonna consult with my crazy dog lady friend but my thoughts are they you did nothing I wouldn’t do.

I do think it’s sad that you had to go to such lengths to protect yourself from grief or probable punishment or summons though, but that’s a whole bigger issue (which honestly has good intent given how many dick wads have no idea how to properly care for a pet)

Good on you. You have my support, dude. For whatever that’s worth :)

Lomac > Birddog 07/29/2015 at 17:54

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My car has a turbo timer that I technically could have used to keep the a/c running while running to the washroom. Only problem is that, due to the unique way it was programmed, I can’t lock or arm the car while it’s running. And while leaving the windows open is nearly the same as leaving a car unlocked, at least windows open will trip the alarm if someone tries to make their way inside. That, and I had a few thousand dollars worth of film equipment in the trunk. No chance in hell I’m leaving my car unlocked with that stuff in it.

Lomac > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/29/2015 at 17:54

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Social Justice Warriors. Wheee!

Lomac > Rainbow 07/29/2015 at 17:56

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In the two minutes I would have been gone, yes, I’m positive the temperature would have remained within safe parameters. Plus, since the A/C had been blasting in the car for hours prior to that stop, the interior was actually much cooler than it normally would have been.

Lomac > E92M3 07/29/2015 at 17:57

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My dog will actually go out of his way to sit on our black leather couch, even when it’s roasting from direct sunlight. Don’t understand him at times... lol

Lomac > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 07/29/2015 at 17:59

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Merci!

I do think it’s a little sad that I feel the need to go to such extremes as well, but given how some of my friends will still blindly say stuff online (that you’re legally allowed to break a window [even though here in BC you can’t], that no dogs should be kept inside a car even with the windows or convertible top down, etc,) I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Lomac > itranthelasttimeiparkedit 07/29/2015 at 18:01

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Pretty much. I usually do my best to simply ignore people like that, but this time that crazy lady was getting on my nerves. I’m not one to yell or get angry or anything like that. I find it’s actually more gratifying by responding politely and asking what should be done differently next time. Usually throws them way off.