July 12, 2012

It is with a heavy heart this news is reported. A police dog named Jeg, has suffered from being left in a hot car. He later had to be euthanized from his experience.

Think for a moment about the extreme heat most of us have been suffering through this summer. Now, imagine a dog left in a blistering hot car, unattended. That is what happened in Tucson, Arizona today due to a police officer leaving his dog partner in the car. Channel 3TV reported the tragedy on their evening news.

"Officials say that a drug-sniffing dog for the Arizona Department of Public Safety had to be euthanized after being left unattended in a hot squad car for more than an hour.

"The Arizona Daily Star reports that DPS has asked Tucson police to conduct a criminal investigation in the case.

"DPS says the Belgian Malinois named Jeg was rushed to a veterinary hospital Wednesday.

"His temperature was extremely high when he was found."

This is the second police partner dog in Arizona that has died due to such an event. How does it happen?

Please leave a flower for K-9 Jeg

Both officers feel horrible about forgetting their partners in the car where the faithful dogs waited for the officers to return. How long can one last in a closed car in this heat? Much less time than most people might guess. On an 80 degree day a car can heat up to 120 degrees in 15 minutes or less, so with temperatures in the 100s across the country, it gets hot much faster.

This is a horrific situation and our hearts go out to the dogs and their partners, but imagine how careful our police force must be when out in the community. If they can be so focused that they forget their canine partner, we can certainly make a similar mistake.

The Mythbusters once did a test to see if a can of pop would explode if exposed to high heat. They used a microwave and their test showed that it would not. However, in Arizona in the summer, a can of Diet Pepsi was accidentally left in a car all day. When the driver returned, the pop can had exploded in the car. The can was ripped open and the soda had sprayed all over the ceiling before it evaporated. Hard to know how long it took for that to happen, but if the heat in a car can cause such a thing, it is certainly deadly.

Now think about going barefooted on hot concrete, asphalt, or sand at the beach this summer. With the current temperatures your feet would be burned. Do you think this would be okay for your dog? Absolutely not, and if it burns your feet, it will also burn the paw pads of your dog. Are you drinking plenty of water this summer? Your dog needs to do the same. Dogs can suffer sun stroke and sunburn too, so limit their time in the heat and sun.

Please share this information with everyone you know and let's pray that this story isn't repeated. Your dog counts on you to be the leader and caregiver so do it for your best friend.

Please leave a flower for Jep.
K-9 Jeg