Yes, I Am A Busybody

Running my errands on the weekend is getting more and more difficult the closer my due date approaches, but I struggle on. As I made my way to one grocery store (I had to make a separate trip because Wally World didn't carry what I wanted) I ended up parking next to a car with a doggy inside.

The windows were cracked, and it was cloudy at the time. But I had just heard on Friday about a woman who forgot her dog was in the car ... a black lab. The lab died in the less than hot weather when left in her car for 2 hours. She was devastated (apparently inconsolable...I would be too!) and the story breaks my heart.

So that was on my mind as I watched this dog panting. Yes the windows were cracked. But as I sat there with my door wide open my car felt increasingly warm and uncomfortable.

I don't normally leave notes for people...it seems kind of obnoxious, but this time I did. It was a simple note and just mentioned that a woman just lost her dog in her car on a very similar weather day and cars can get over 100 degrees very quickly.

I hope the note was taken in the spirit it was intended. By the time I'd come out of the store, the car was gone, but so were the clouds. My car was extremely uncomfortable and warm. Even with windows cracked a dog would not have been safe inside.

And I do, shamefully, admit to having left my dog in the car on a semi-warm day...I HATED it and rushed to get back...I also parked under a tree, left water in the car, and cracked the windows much more than I was comfortable. Even then it was too warm for my liking and I avoid doing it whenever possible. When temperatures reach into the 80s and 90s our dogs don't go anywhere in the car if we plan on leaving the car for any reason. Or, one of us stays inside with the AC on full blast.

There's no reason for a dog to die in a hot car.