Some people should not own pets.

Today was a beautiful, sunny, clear blue sky, early summer kind of day here in New Zealand. After my acupuncture appointment and a late lunch, Chris and I went hunting for a better quality water bottle than the one I'm currently using. The search was for the most part useless because I can't find what I'm looking for here (or anywhere if internet searches are any indication!).

After checking all the stores in the shopping area that might carry something like that, we hopped in the car to head home. As we were driving through the parking lot I noticed a guy closing the door to his car rather awkwardly, trying to make sure the dog inside didn't wiggle its way out. On the walkway above a woman I assume was his wife waved at him to hurry up. So he dashed off to catch up with her before the traffic lights changed so they could cross the street.

Being the dog lover I am, I craned my neck to make sure the windows were cracked several inches (Chris had driven past by then) and couldn't see any open on the driver's side! I looked over at Chris and said "I think that guy just left his dog in the car in this heat with no windows down!" Chris turned the car around to drive back past and sure enough, there were no windows open on the passenger's side either, the little poodle looking dog was barking in protest of being left in the car. "Why would someone do that?" I said...then thought, well, maybe they were just going in to pick up milk or get a coffee at the nearby cafe and would be back within a few minutes. It wouldn't excuse not leaving a window open a few inches, but the dog would be alright if it was for just 5 minutes. At this point we were on the road and headed in the direction of home, but I just couldn't let it go. I felt ill over it and started crying because I was so pissed off. Chris asked me what I thought we could do, since we didn't have any number to call. I said I had no idea, but that it just wasn't right for people to leave their dog locked up in a car with no fresh air. So Chris turned the car around and said "Well, we'll just sit there and watch to make sure they come out really soon." So we parked where the car was in view, but there was no sign of the owners, and by then the dog had been in the car for almost 10 minutes.

In the shopping center there was a pet store so I told Chris to go in and see if a store associate would know what to do or who to call in case they didn't come let the dog out, since IMO 10+ minutes with the sun that strong would heat the car up to a miserable temp, even though it was in a spot with partial shade. Our car felt like an oven when we came out to it earlier and it had only been sitting for maybe 20-30 minutes. Chris went in there and came back out with the number to the local SPCA and said the store associate said we should call and report it, since obviously it was to the point where the car had to be quite hot inside, it was 15 minutes now.

So Chris walked over to the car to make sure that there were indeed no windows open, then called the SPCA and gave them the license plate number and location of the car. They said they'd send someone over right away, but they were unfortunately some distance away in rush hour traffic. 20 minutes passed and the dog was spending most of its time in the lower part of the car and not barking anymore.

At 25 minutes the SPCA officer called Chris' cell phone to let us know that she was still miles away but they had traced the plates and were able to call the owners and they were coming out to let the dog out of the car. The 5 minutes it took for the owner to come strolling out of the store felt like an eternity. He opened the door, then hunted around for a leash for 3-4 minutes before that poor dog was able to get out of the car! Then about a minute later his wife came trotting out, laughing and waving her hand at the guy. Neither one had groceries in their hand. What does that say? They weren't even done shopping after 30 minutes of the dog being in the car!! How much longer would they have strolled around in the nice, air conditioned store while their dog slowly suffocated in the car?

The only thing that kept me from jumping out of the car and screaming at them for their complete lack of consideration for the animal they were fawning over was the knowledge that an SPCA officer had their names, number, knew where they lived, and would be paying them a visit to educate them about what 30 minutes in a car could do to their pet if the day had been any hotter. And BTW, they weren't a young couple either, they had to be in their early 50's I think, so you can't even blame it on them being clueless kids.

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?? Dogs are not toys they are living, breathing beings that feel heat and cold just like we do. In fact, they are even more susceptible to the heat because they have a fur coat on 24/7 and don't sweat the same way we do! We had to sit anguishing over whether it was hot enough for the dog to suffocate before someone came to let it out, all the while feeling like a big meanie for calling the SPCA and hoping that they'd learn their lesson today without any harm coming to the innocent animal involved, while the owners went shopping! I'm sure they didn't mean any ill will toward their dog, but if you're going to own a pet you need to be conscious of their needs and understand what is and isn't safe for them.

You'd better believe if that dog had stopped pacing in that car I would have done whatever I had to to get it out. In most states in the US it is illegal to leave your dog in the car for any amount of time, cracked windows or not, and a police officer or Good Samaritan can break your window to get the dog out thanks to animal cruelty laws.

On a hot, sunny day in many areas of the world, 5 minutes is all it takes for a car to heat up above 130 degrees F, and in that climate, 10-15 minutes in a sealed car can suffocate a child or a pet.