South Euclid police just shared this video from the June 30th rescue of a dog inside a hot car. The police officer noticed the dog trying to jump out of the window, so he tried to find the owner. After being unsuccessful, he was able to pull the dog out of the half-open window and give him some water. The owner eventually left a restaurant and was ultimately charged with animal cruelty.
The temperature that day was around 86 degrees. Even if the car had only been sitting there for 10 minutes, the temperature would've already been over 100 degrees. If the car had been sitting there longer, the car's temperature would've continued to go up.
Remember, if it's too hot for you, it's too hot for them. With this heat wave we've been having over the last week or so, it's important that we take care of our four legged friends when they can't communicate with us how hot they are. Yesterday we took our dog to the vet for his checkup and the moment he stepped on the pavement in the parking lot, he started kicking his feet and was realyl uncomfortable. He and the vet tech were trying to get across the parking lot and into the building as quickly as possible.
I know that despite the heat, the weather has been overall pretty enjoyable (especially for an Ohio summer). If you want to enjoy the sun with your dog, provide them with extra bowls of water in a shaded area. Maybe get a kiddie pool for $10 and fill it up for them to lounge in or a sprinkler to run through. If you need to run errands in this kind of heat and you're going to places where your dog isn't allowed, then leave your dog at home. I know that you want to spend as much time as possible with your buddy, but in this kind of heat, it would be best to leave them home than make them sit in a hot car while you run inside for 10 minutes.