Pet question: what would you do?

[codenamejack]

Not sure where to post this, but I guess this is as good a place as any.

A friend of mine wants to join us for dinner one night when we're at WDW. She lives a few hours away, but she has four dogs. She suggested that she would just leave them in the car while we ate. Am I wrong to insist that her babies are not invited and that she should get a pet sitter or a kennel? Even though it'll be evening, it's still going to be hot. Another friend said that she would just leave the dogs alone at home if it's less than 12 hours.

 

[Shih-Tzu]

In most provinces (and probably states as well), it's against the law to leave a pet in a car... there are kennels at WDW - at least she can have her puppies with her for the actual car trip....

 

[codenamejack]

I wondered about that too! I just searched and it's not clear it's illegal statewide, but it seems some counties have ordinances against it.

 

[goofy67]

This is just my opinion...But if your friend cannot afford to board her dogs or hire a dogsitter for the time she is away then she does not need 4 dogs or need to drive that far away to go out to eat. As I said, this is just my opinion. My mother and I had a stray dog adopt us and after we decided to keep her we have to make major decisions when taking trips...can we afford the trip and the boarding fees for out "baby"? if not we don't take the trip we stay at home.

 

[codenamejack]

I didn't say anything about being able to afford it. She just doesn't see any problem with keeping them in the car.

 

[onnawufei]

Maybe point out all the bad things that could happen if she left them in the car for that long? Besides the fact that they could overheat and get sick (or worse), they could be stolen, they could get bored and mess up something in her car, or they could just um... mess in her car. Does she really want to drive back smelling that the entire way?

I'd definitely suggest she either kennel them at WDW or just leave them at home. If they aren't the destructive sort they'll probably be just fine and she'll get the bonus of extra affectionate dogs when she returns.

 

[Jacks2583]

I am kind of surprised that she would consider leaving her babies in the car. I have a dog who is like my child. I would NEVER leave him in the car like that. It seems like she is a huge dog lover, so I dont understand why she would think this is ok.

I would tell her that you are not comfortable with her leaving the dogs in the car in the heat (not to mention it is most likely illegal) and that she either needs to find someone else to keep them (kennel/sitter) or it may just not work out this time.

Good luck!

 

[DISaholic's]

Please absolutely beg her to NOT leave them in the car. It is so dangerous for them. The heat in a car (even with the windows down) goes up SO fast. It can easily become over 150 degrees within a 1/2 hour. Not too mention there is no way to leave water for them.

We have two dogs that are left at home alone every work day from 7:30 to sometimes after 5:00pm. They will be fine and much safer/healthier at home.

 

[codenamejack]

(Thanks for all the replies so far! Good to know I'm not wrong about this.)

And she is a big dog lover and animal rights advocate, that's why it completely baffles me that she'd be willing to just leave them in the car. I'm not sure what her logic is.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I hope you can really stress to your friend what a BAD idea this is...esp since she lives in FL she knows how hot it gets in a car. I personally couldn't find an actual law on the books ( don't think common sense requires an written law) BUT I did find people being charged with felonies when a dog was found dead in that situation...if she STILL thinks they would be fine:

tell her to google about a PO's dog partner that was accidentally killed in the Tampa Bay area (common for PO dogs to remain in vehicle but in this case the a/c failed) tragic...my heart breaks for the devestated PO this happened to that lost her canine partner.


Scary too if your friend does this on a regular basis

 

[sjs314]

[/I would just tell my friend that leaving her dogs in the car while we ate would NOT be acceptable. I would never do that to my dog, I would not be able to enjoy my dinner knowing my dog was out in the car alone. It is not safe depending on the weather and how quickly temps rise in a car.]

 

[LILOLO]

I'm not sure about Florida, but let your friend know that in most states it's illegal to leave a dog in the car like that, and for good reason! Why wouldn't they just leave fido at home? Some may feel bad for the dog, but it's a lot less cruel (and harmful) than leaving it in the car.

 

[codenamejack]

Thanks, everyone, for confirming what I thought -- that this is a bad idea. When I tried to discuss this with her, she seemed to act like I was being rude and I wanted to make sure that wasn't the case. I still have no idea why she would think this is okay. She's such a big animal advocate about everything else. I'm mystified.

At any rate, I did tell her that as much as I want to meet her babies, I'd be happy to help her research kennels wherever she wants one.