If there's anything that makes Lee Rinehart barking mad, it's people who leave their pets inside cars while they shop on hot summer days.
"They're idiots!" Rinehart, Fayette County's dog warden for seven years, exclaimed Tuesday.
On a 90-degree day, the temperature inside a closed-up car can reach 130 degrees in a matter of minutes and be fatal for Fido. Cracking the windows does not keep a car cool.
For reasons Rinehart says he'll never understand, many people take their pets along when they head for the outlet mall.
"I haven't gotten any complaints yet this year, but they should start coming in soon," he said. "I usually get seven or eight calls a month in July and August about a dog left in a locked up car on a hot day."
Rinehart says he hasn't yet had a case where a dog died in a hot car. "I hope I don't. I've been lucky so far to get to them in time, but I know it's been close."
Last year, Rinehart says he was called to the outlet mall on a report of a boxer locked in a Lexus SUV with the windows barely cracked on a 90-degree day. The owner was inside the air-conditioned stores, shopping.
Rinehart attempted to locate the dog's owner over the mall's public address system. After 20 minutes and no response, Rinehart - accompanied by two Fayette County Sheriff's Office deputies - broke into the SUV through its sunroof.
"I was on top of the car and just as I was taking the dog out, (the dog's owner) came up raising holy hell," Rinehart recalled.
"It was good I had two deputies with me. They read her the riot act. That poor dog had been in that car an hour and a half. It was an oven. It's a wonder it didn't die. That dog sure was glad to get out of that car.
"Don't take your dog shopping with you if you're going to be gone for hours," Rinehart says. "A quick trip to the store is one thing, and even then you should leave the air conditioning on. But, when you know you're going to be gone for hours, well, there's no sense to it."
According to the American Veterinary Association, a car's inside temperature on an 85-degree day can reach 102 degrees in 10 minutes and can cause a dog to suffer heat stroke within minutes.
Signs of heatstroke are panting hard, staggering gait, listlessness, restlessness, dark red or purple gums and tongue, and vomiting.
If your dog does overheat, its body temperature should be gradually lowered by immersing it cool water or moving it to an air-conditioned location.
Rinehart also warns people about leaving their dogs outside without shade or water.
"Dogs dehydrate quickly in hot weather," he said. "They need water all the time, and they need shade. Humans do, I don't know why people would think their dogs wouldn't."
Water bowls should be kept full, and ice cubes should be added periodically to keep the water cool on hot days.
Rinehart also warns people to not attempt to capture a dog they see running at large. "They may think it's someone's pet and can rescue it, but that's how a lot of people get bitten. If a dog's scared or feels threatened, it will bite."
Individuals who see a dog left in a car, left outdoors without water or shelter, or running at-large should call the Fayette County dog warden's office at (740) 335-6630. If there is no answer, Rinehart can be reached through the Washington C. H. Police Department at (740) 636-2370 or Fayette County Sheriff's Department at (740) 335-6170.
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