Pam wrote:
I have gotten paranoid over the hyper vigilant do gooders who think any dog left alone in a car needs to be rescued and the owner trashed. Without knowing how long the dog has been alone in the car. And they get the dog all excited by approaching the car causing more panting and using that as an excuse that the dog was in distress. Yes, there are some real cases out there, and I'd be one to bust a window if a dog was clearly in distress, but we do have a bunch of people acting needlessly for self serving reasons.

My dog and I travel a lot and cannot potty in the same location so I have to make pit stops. It's safest for me to avoid the hyper vigilant to stop at a rest area. But that is not always possible. Sometimes I have to stop at a food place. Makes me paranoid as heck. I'm afraid every time I run out of the bathroom to my vehicle that someone is going to be out there trying to break into my car.

August West wrote:
Frankly, I don't think the problem is pet owners being hassled by people noticing the pets shut in a car on the hot day. I think the problem is that animals die because people leave them in the car on a hot day. Why not pay attention to the real problem, as these police are doing?

RAMd®d wrote:
Frankly, I see both as problems, one greater than the other.

First and foremost, I'd hope that a concerned citizen would call animal control or the police if they see what they think is an animal in distress.

Dogs pant a lot, under the slightest provocation, a little heat, a little exercise. I'd hate to see someone walk up to a vehicle and automatically assume that a dog is in trouble because it's unattained, and break into a car because to 'rescue' it. And I'd hate to see someone arrested when it's inappropriate.

That said, I applaud PPD's proactive stance.

I was pondering how one could advise passers-by that the dog is fine. My idea (patent pending) is a an analog outdoor thermometer and analog elapsed timer. Mounted on a fixture that can be placed on a kennel or hung near a window, it indicates with green and red zones, how long you've been [gone] and the current inside temperature.

Soon to be available at a Kickstarter near you.