It's time for the annual idiot alert: We're entering the time of year when pet owners who run errands park their cars in a sunny space and leave Fido to bake inside.
I wish there were inexpensive thermometers you could mount alerting authorities to the temperature inside these cars before you have to break a window (a nail punch works nicely). People who excuse themselves by stating they are going inside for "just a minute" may not realize that "just a minute" is all the time that is needed to kill your pet.
OK, nimrod, try this experiment: Set your oven at 200 degrees, then stick your head inside. How long does it take before you feel uncomfortable? How long does it take before you begin to sweat? Now imagine this: Your pet has five to 10 times less mass than you, meaning it will bake that much faster, and it cannot cool itself by sweating.
Still insist on leaving your pet in your car? Then you are no better than the people who have allowed other atrocities to go on, claiming they didn't know. Now you know.
Benjamin Cherryhomes, Hastings
