Tips for dog owners while triple digit heat continues in Valley

Tips for dog owners while triple digit heat continues in Valley »Play Video
Just a couple of minutes inside a vehicle is too long for a dog.
LEWISTON, ID - It's not only important for you to stay cool but also for your four legged friend.

Reporter Sophia Miraglio learns why even just a quick trip could mean trouble for you and your pet.

With triple digit temperatures upon us, it's up to pet owners to make sure their animals are protected from the blistering conditions.

"It's really important that they have water available and shade if they're outside," said Southway Animal Clinic Veterinarian Dr. David Ard.

And that's because every year countless animals die from heat-related injuries.

"Dogs get super hot then they have circulatory collapse, can go into kidney failure and die very quickly," said Dr. Ard.

Which is what City of Lewiston's Animal Control Officer, Doug Willey is trying to prevent.

"This time of year when it's getting warmer we get a lot of calls about dogs being left in cars while the owners inside," said Willey.

According to Officer Doug Willey, even with the windows down on an 85-degree day, the temperature inside a car can climb to 102 degrees in 10 minutes.

"When it's hot like this, even a couple minutes is too long for these dogs," said Wiley.

The cars been running and the A-C going and right now you can see were at 76 degrees and dropping, but what will the temperature be in twenty minutes when the doors are closed and the engines off. Now the temperature inside the car is reading at 119 degrees, which means that it rose more than 40 degrees within 20 minutes.

"They pant, they sweat very little just on the bottoms of their feet and on their nose and so they can't cool themselves," said Dr. Ard.

And because of just how hot a car can get, citations for animal abuse during summertime are common.

"The dog can't escape the car and it can cause irreversible damage because of the heat," said Wiley.

A dog can withstand a body temperature of 107 to 108 for a very short time before suffering brain damage or even death.

Animal control advises you to call the police if you see an animal that is ever being abused. And officers have already cited violators, here locally for animal cruelty over the weekend.