This writing aims only to cause awareness for pet parents on how to protect their pets during crucial temperatures and not to portray the tragic pets’ lives.
What tops the pet parents’ worries?
You may have several answers, but we brought one profound answer: Ambient Temperature. Yes! It is a crucial issue that needs more awareness and education. We have some real-time incidents on how summer’s heat and winter’s coldness brought catastrophic ends for innocent pets’ across the country.
Summer heat and winter cold are obviously juxtaposed with pets’ lives. Some news cases below reveal how the pets’ are severely affected by heat stroke and frostbite.
A parked Car/RV is one of the most treacherous spots for your pet during summer.
The unstable temperature changes are the real threat to pets. Big or small dogs, cold or hot, leaving them inside a closed car or RV brings them fatal conditions. Here are some shreds of evidence:
In July 2016, in Pennsylvania, a 2-years- old police dog Totti, died inside a car that was parked for more than two hours. The dog handler and other staff rescued him, tried to cool Totti with water and ice, and carried him to the local veterinary, but ended up in vain.
On July 5, 2017, the Roswell Police Department rescued two dogs, found striving hard in hotness inside a parked car. The report stated that the temperature inside the car was 167 degrees. A passerby at that time noticed the car and called 911. One dog suffered from a severe heat stroke attack amidst first aid.
In another tragic incident in Boston, 2017, a dog was found dead in a parked truck for almost two and a half hours. The temperature inside the truck was 110 degrees.
Likewise, two pets in New Market, Virginia were found panting inside a hot parked car for more than two hours. The vehicle’s temperature gradually increases in no means of time than the environment temperature.
In Ikea, 2018, a dog named Fidji was found dying inside a parked car for almost four hours. A policeman noticed the poor dog and broke the windows to rescue him. The report says his owners left him alone inside the boiling car to get a wedding gift on their way. The dog died the same day from internal bleeding despite undergoing a three-hour surgery.
In Kananaskis Country, Alberta, a 4-year-old German Shepherd died due to heat stroke.
In August 2020, Colleen Meyer was arrested for leaving three dogs and eight puppies in a trailer without AC, food, or water. The report says that the dogs were emaciated, and the puppies were drenched in sweat.
Two dogs lost their lives in a hot car in Missouri while their owner attended a lecture. In Clearwater, FL, a 2-year-old mixed breed, Biscuit, died out of heat strokes after being left unattended in a car. The owner said that he left the car engine running, AC on, and locked the door. Unexpectedly his car stopped working, which led to his pet’s death. This shows that cooling technology sometimes fails and cannot guarantee precious pets’ lives.
Most parts of the United States in July 2021 experienced a disastrous level of heat waves. It is set to have a record-setting heat temperature over the years. This led to considering more care for vulnerable pets.
Every month at least 1000+ pets lose their lives due to heat stroke. Constant dog deaths in parked vehicles arose as an alarming case. It led to a new law that penalized people who leave their pets in extreme temperatures.
Reasons why dogs get Heat Strokes:
Dogs don’t have sweat glands like humans, so they pant to cool the body during summer. But when the body temperature is higher than the normal temperature, it becomes hard for the dog to sustain the high temperature and gets heat stroke. Take some precautionary steps if your dog is affected by heat strokes.
Never leave your pet to wander outside in the winter
One cannot escape from winter’s frigidness. The cold temperatures bring life-threatening issues for pets like frostbite, hypothermia etc., Though the pet has fur skin, it doesn’t mean that they can bear freezing temperatures. If humans can’t bear cold, then their pets too can’t! Here are some winter chaoses that obliterated many adorable pets’ lives.
In 2017, a man in Middletown was arrested for leaving his arthritic dog in raw cold and rainy outdoors. The dog was tied in the backyard for hours in the cold. According to the statement of the dog owner, his dog was ‘incontinent,’ so he kept chained in the backyard most of the time.
In 2018 Dallas, the temperature kept plummeting, causing more tension among the pet parents. It reflected a caution period for the pet owners, especially small breeds.
Did you know? “25 degrees and less are hazardous for small dogs and perilous for large dogs.”
In North Carolina January 2019, a pregnant dog was found frozen to the ground of the Airport road just off of Mount Carmel Church in Pikeville, North Carolina. The State was massively destroyed by a huge snowstorm and Arctic air where this poor soul demised.
The same year another dog was found dead in a house backyard, who spent his entire night in freezing temperature. The report says that the house had a small wooden dog box to keep the warm pet outside, despite the pet dying.
The same year, a video in which a mother dog trying to keep her puppies warm in frigid temperatures went viral on Facebook. Initially, the page administrators said it was uploaded only to spread awareness for not letting the pets outside the deadly winter. After outrageous comments and voices, the video was soon removed from the page.
On December 1, 2021, in Oklahoma City, Animal Control found a dog that died frozen. The dog died out of a frostbite strike. Her seven puppies were carefully rescued and survived.
In another report that happened on December 18, 2021, a woman was charged in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, after her underweight dog was found dead outside the cold weather.
Many organizations like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) work to prevent animal abuse. Every year, PETA receives reports about the death of dogs and cats who left the world in crucial cold weather and summer heat. Pet parents commit this mistake unintentionally or intentionally. Leaving their pets alone, especially in the summer heat and winter cold, brings huge suffering and fatal conditions to the pets.
To avoid this fuss, one can learn how to keep their pet warm throughout the Winter and get rid of frostbite. Also know more about how to avoid heat stroke attack in pets and protect from extreme hot summer.
Waggle cares for your Pet!
Waggle is on the mission to protect your pets. It is a boom of smart ways to protect your pets by keeping them safe and comfortable around.
Waggle brings the Pet Monitor, which tracks the ambient temperatures and humidity. It sends real-time temperature alerts via SMS/ Email or App. You can check whether your pooch is safe with real-time notifications. You can immediately attend to your pet and bring them to safety if the temperature drops.
Last year our Pet Monitor saved 8000+ pets’ lives. During summer vacations in 2019, the Pet monitor learned that at least one risk incident was averted in a week.
Using Pet Monitor can bring peace of mind to the pet parents when their pets are alone or traveling along with them. If you are an RV traveler or office goer or staying at home, having pets adds a sense of responsibility, increasing multifold during the scalding and frigid temperatures.
You can learn more about the Waggle Pet Monitor here.
Source: PETA, Independent
News Source:
- https://www.dogingtonpost.com/dog-dies-after-3-hours-in-parked-car-with-air-conditioner-running
- https://www.fox13news.com/news/brooksville-woman-arrested-on-animal-cruelty-charges-involving-puppies
- Viralfancy.com
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57665715
- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/09/us-west-heatwave-california-nevada-record
- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/us/heat-wave-warning-california.html
- https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57751918
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/07/08/heat-wave-west-california-nevada/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57654133
