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Leaving Animals Unattended in Vehicles
Animals left in vehicles chiefly are exposed to the danger of hyperthermia, or heat stroke. For example, Sergeant Tom Lovejoy of Arizona accidentally left his K-9 dog in the police car in front of his house for 12 hours in 109 degree heat, resulting in the dog’s death.
The crime of leaving animals unattended in a vehicle is often specifically regulated by local ordinances and municipal codes. These rules prohibit leaving animals in cars with inadequate ventilation or extreme temperatures that will adversely affect its health or well being. The punishments can be severe, but significantly lower than the penalties surrounding leaving children unattended in a vehicle.
In addition, more general state penal codes often make it a crime to torture, maim, or mutilate animals. Some state rules specifically prohibit carrying pets in cars in any cruel or inhumane manner that causes suffering. However, cruelty-to-animal state statutes usually address intentional, wicked conduct, and thus do not specifically apply to cases where owners unintentionally cause a pet’s death by leaving it in a hot car.
Also, state legislatures and city councils have recognized that animals are transported in vehicles for a variety of reasons, and many are done so in a safe and reasonable manner. There has been an increase in public awareness regarding the dangers of hyperthermia to animals over the last 20 years, and, as a result, owners who forget about their dogs in a hot car are unlikely to be subjected to inordinate punishment.
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