Union County Sheriff’s Office warns against leaving pets in hot cars
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, June 13th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE — The Union County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) is urging residents to avoid leaving pets in cars as temperatures heat up.
“Your dog deserves better than being left in a hotbox while you go to the grocery store,” the UCSO posted on Facebook. The post included an image of the interior of a vehicle damaged by dogs attempting to escape the heat. “Dogs cannot survive long when the temperature rises and they have no escape. A dog’s body experiences heatstroke when it reaches 109 degrees or higher.”
The UCSO tells Elkhorn Media Group the photo is from a 2021 case where dogs were left in a car with the windows up for an entire day. The animals tried to escape but were unsuccessful and died by the time their owners returned.
“That 2021 case stuck with me,” Cherise Kaechele, Public Information Officer for the UCSO said. “We wanted people to be aware of the dangers before the temperatures really got bad.”
The Sheriff’s Office says it receives numerous calls about dogs in distress each summer. This year, there have already been two such calls in the past two weeks. In 2023, there were at least ten calls about dogs in hot cars from May through September.
The UCSO praised the community’s vigilance in reporting animals in distress and advised residents to err on the side of caution. If a dog is seen in a car with the windows up during hot weather, dispatch should be called immediately at 541-963-1017. Signs of a dog in distress include heavy panting or excessive drooling, while a dog in imminent danger will often be desperately trying to escape the vehicle.
For people who see an animal or child locked inside a hot car, an Oregon state law passed in 2017 allows bystanders to act quickly to save them. The law permits individuals to break into a vehicle to rescue a child or animal in imminent danger, provided they call law enforcement first. The Good Samaritan law protects those who follow the procedure as a last resort from lawsuits.
The UCSO recommends checking if the driver may be in a nearby business and having the business make an announcement with a vehicle description and license plate information. Additionally, bystanders should stay with the animal or child until the owner of the vehicle or first responders arrive. Temperatures inside a vehicle can climb to 120 degrees within 20 minutes, and cracking the windows or parking in the shade does not significantly lower the temperature.
The above photo shows the interior of a vehicle that dogs tried to escape from on a hot day in 2021. The dogs died before their owners returned.
