Austin dog dies in a hot car while his owner shops

I do a post about leaving dogs alone in cars when it’s hot at least once a year (This is #2 so far this year. Here’s the first one. ) and it makes me so angry that I just can’t stand it!

Stedman, a 2 year old Weimaraner, went on a ride with his person in the afternoon, and that night he was dead – all because his person didn’t care enough about him to keep him safe. The Austin dog was left in a hot car while his owner went shopping at an electronics store. It didn’t take long before Stedman suffered from severe heat stroke, and died a terrible death as a result.

An Austin man was arrested on Tuesday for reportedly leaving his dog in a hot car while he shopped in an electronics store, killing the 2-year-old Weimaraner named Stedman.

Austin police arrested Christopher Richard Schmitt, 25, on charges of cruelty to a non-livestock animal, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in jail.

The dog had severe heat stroke, seizures, vomiting, intestinal damage and broken blood vessels and had to be euthanized, police said.

Schmitt told police that he went to Fry’s to make a quick exchange and was in the store for no more than 20 minutes. In addition, he claimed that the driver side window had been cracked, and he tried to park by a small tree with shade.

But a witness and emergency crews told a different story, according to the arrest warrant.

“According to witnesses at the scene, the windows were completely rolled up in the vehicle, so along with the heat of the day and the dog moving around and panting inside the car, the temperature could climb quickly,” said Alan Schwettmann, of the Austin Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Unit.

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Animal experts say that it’s a common misconception that animals can survive if the windows are cracked, or if the car is parked in the shade. They said people often think that dogs, in particular, can handle high temperatures.

Wrong, said Charlotte Biggs, proprietor of Stay-N-Play Pet Ranch in Dripping Springs, which also does rehabilitation on injured animals. In fact, even jogging or walking with a dog in high heat can hurt or kill them, experts said.

“They can get overheated much quicker than we can,” Biggs said. “Their temperature can shoot up to 104, 105 in just a matter of ten to fifteen minutes, and that can lead to a seizure. …

“Even cracking a window a little bit, thinking they’ll be okay isn’t enough in this kind of heat to keep them safe. There’s not enough breeze. They don’t cool down the way we do they cool down by panting.”

Here’s the rest from Austin’s KXAN: Dog dies in hot car; owner charged

If you think your pet is suffering from heatstroke, get him out of the heat as soon as possible. Here are a few other things you can do:

• Put rubbing alcohol on the pads of their feet.
• Pour cool – not cold – water on them. Start with their feet, neck, and genital areas.
• Wrap them in a sheet or other cloth that’s been soaked with cool water.
• Get your pet to the vet! Even if you think he’s OK, it’s a good idea to have him checked out.

Bottom line: leaving your dogs in the car when it’s hot outside is stupid and downright cruel! I don’t care if you leave the windows cracked or wide open.  Even if hot to leave a dog in a car in hot weather. Dogs can’t handle the heat as well as we can, and run the risk of developing heat stroke much more quickly. Please, please, please do NOT leave your dog in a hot car. If it’s hot and uncomfortable for you, it’s going to be even worse for your dog!