Summer is here, and with the mercury soaring across the United States, it’s vital to keep dogs from being locked in hot cars for extended periods of time. According to PETA, since last summer, there have been at least 78 deaths of dogs and other companion animals due to heat exposure in cars.
While temperatures outside might be 75–85 degrees Fahrenheit (24–29 degrees Celsius), if the car is in full sun with no windows cracked open to allow air circulation, then the car can quickly become an oven. According to calculations by researchers at San Jose State University, “on a day where the outside temperature is 80 degrees, a car with its windows rolled up, will heat up to 114 degrees in 30 minutes.”
