On a day that doesn't seem very hot to you like a 78 degree day, the temperature inside your car can reach 120 degrees within minutes and cracking your windows will not help enough to save your pet or child. What would you do if you saw a dog inside of a car that was not running, the windows were down by about 5 inches and it was 81 degrees on a partly sunny day?

Obviously you would act differently if it were a child. That's a no brainer, but what do you do if it is a dog? The temperature inside of a parked car can sore well above 100 degrees in just minutes.

Photo by Mimi Campbell, Townsquare Media
Photo by Mimi Campbell, Townsquare Media
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I was recently at a store in Texarkana on an 81 degree day. It was mostly cloudy but partly sunny at times. A diesel that could've easily been running was not and there were a couple of dogs inside. I knew this because the dogs were barking at me as I got into my truck after shopping. The windows were opened by several inches. Some folks may think that it should be cool enough inside but what you read below may change your mind. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA):

 

Every year, hundreds of pets die from heat exhaustion because they are left in parked vehicles. We've heard the excuses: "Oh, it will just be a few minutes while I go into the store," or "But I cracked the windows..." These excuses don't amount to much if your pet becomes seriously ill or dies from being left in a vehicle.

The temperature inside your vehicle can rise almost 20º F in just 10 minutes. In 20 minutes, it can rise almost 30º F...and the longer you wait, the higher it goes. At 60 minutes, the temperature in your vehicle can be more than 40 degrees higher than the outside temperature. Even on a 70-degree day, that's 110 degrees inside your vehicle!

Your vehicle can quickly reach a temperature that puts your pet at risk of serious illness and even death, even on a day that doesn't seem hot to you. And cracking the windows makes no difference.

Want numbers? An independent study showed that the interior temperature of vehicles parked in outside temperatures ranging from 72 to 96º F rose steadily as time increased. Another study, performed by the Louisiana Office of Public Health, found that the temperatures in a dark sedan as well as a light gray minivan parked on a hot, but partly cloudy day, exceeded 125oF within 20 minutes.

Estimated Vehicle Interior Air Temperature v. Elapsed Time
Elapsed timeOutside Air Temperature (F)
707580859095
0 minutes707580859095
10 minutes899499104109114
20 minutes99104109114119124
30 minutes104109114119124129
40 minutes108113118123128133
50 minutes111116121126131136
60 minutes113118123128133138
> 1 hour115120125130135140
Courtesy Jan Null, CCM; Department of Geosciences, San Francisco State University

Even now that it is Fall, temps can still get very warm inside of a parked car so please, either leave the car running or leave your pooches at home.

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