We’re inching closer and closer to summer in Texas, which means we’re all going to have to deal with 100-degree days again.
And we hate that people need to be reminded of this, but please don’t leave your animal locked in a hot car with the windows rolled up.
It’s a shame that people still do this, and according to the CDC, even leaving a window open is not enough as car temperatures can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes even with windows cracked!
Unfortunately, if you ever come across this situation there’s not much more you can do other than alert the authorities, as in Texas it is illegal to damage a car to rescue an animal from a hot vehicle.
According to the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, it’s legal in Texas to rescue a person from a hot car, and that “a person who in good faith administers emergency care is not liable in civil damages for an act performed during the emergency unless the act is willfully or wantonly negligent.”
Those same protections, however, do not extend to animals. The best practice is to just write down the car’s make, model, and license plate number, notify the managers of nearby businesses, and/or police and the local animal services department.
Some states, including Arizona, California, Colorado and Florida, do have laws that allow individuals to rescue a distressed animal from a hot car.
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