Dog + Hot Cars = you know the rest.

​We all know that dogs die in hot cars and yet every now and then we all see a dog in a car on a hot summers day so just what should you do when you see a distressed dog trapped in a hot car?

There are a few things you can do before you might consider the need to gain access forcibly.  You could look around for the owner, maybe there's a pay and display ticket in the car which will give you a good idea on how long the dog has been in the car and perhaps how soon the owner is likely to return to the car.  Perhaps the owner is in a nearby store or cafe, it may be worth a quick look if you feel you have time.

If the dog is clearly distressed ring 999.  According to the Ask the Police guidelines the first thing you should do is to ring them if you see a distressed dog in a vehicle. 

I also found this advice online which makes sense to me if the dog is distressed and you cannot quickly locate the owner:

1. Call the police and ask for their assistance.
2. If the police can't attend but the dog is in desperate need of help you may consider taking further action.
3. Explain to the police what you intend to do.
4. Take a photo of the dog trapped in the car.
5. Take the name and number of any witnesses.
6. If you do forcibly gain access to the car you should be willing to defend your actions in court.

Hopefully you'll never find yourself in this situation but if you do then I think doing 'something' is better than doing nothing at all.

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