La Grande police officers Sgt. Dave Sams and Senior Officer Scott Whittington assess a motor home for possible points of entry after receiving a call about a dog left unattended in the vehicle that was parked on Sunset Avenue near the Grande Ronde Hospital. The Observer/TRISTEN KNIGHT

It may only be 10 minutes, but the pet you left in your car could be

suffering from heat exhaustion, brain damage, or worse, dying of heat

stroke.

Concerned residents contacted Union County’s animal control unit

Tuesday about two separate incidents involving dogs being left in

unattended vehicles in 80-degree weather.

The first incident involved a dog left in a Ford Explorer in the

Walmart parking lot in the early afternoon, according to Animal Control

Officer Becky Maddock.

“The windows were down, so it wasn’t too hot,” she said.

After checking the temperature through the cracked window and leaving an informational pamphlet, she received a call involving a dog left in a motor home off of Sunset near Grande Ronde Hospital.

“It’s been here a while; I saw it on Wednesday,” said a resident passing by the vehicle. “I figured it was someone watching the game.”

Shortly after receiving the call, animal control and local police investigated ways to open the motor home and possibly rescue the dog.

“We can only enter without a search warrant under the community caretaking law,” said Maddock.

The community caretaking law, defined under ORS 133.033, states that officers have the “right to enter or remain upon the premises of another if it reasonably appears to be necessary to: prevent serious harm to any person or property; render aid to injured or ill persons; or locate missing persons.”

“If there’s distress, that raises the bar of what you have to do,” Maddock said.

After successfully opening a loose window in the motor home, La Grande Police Sgt. Dave Sams, Senior Officer Scott Whittington and Maddock assessed the situation inside.

“Dog’s been pooping in the back,” said Sams. “He’s panting pretty good.”

But Maddock said it wasn’t enough distress to enter.

“It’s different with a motor home because there is more air to circulate,” Maddock said. “Because there is no human distress, we will mark it for tow in 48 hours, open what windows we can and put water inside.”

In these cases, both canines are OK, but many pets are not so lucky.

Every year, many animals die due to owners leaving them inside their car while they shop or run an errand, often for “only a few minutes.” The number of animal deaths soars every summer, yet their deaths can be easily avoided.

On a sunny day, a car acts like an oven due to the sun’s radiation heating up the metal of the car. If the car’s interior is dark in color, the temperature inside can skyrocket even faster.

“If it’s 70 degrees outside, I’m betting you it’ll be 100 degrees inside the car,” said Maddock. “It’s the greenhouse effect in cars.”

Even with the windows cracked, when it is 72 degrees outside, the car’s internal temperature can reach 116 degrees within an hour. When it is 85 degrees, the temperature inside can soar to 102 degrees in 10 minutes, according to a Stanford University test.

Dogs and cats don’t have sweat glands and they can only dispel heat by panting and through their feet. Because of this, animals can only handle high body temperature for a short period of time before suffering from heat exhaustion, heat stroke, brain damage or even death, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Even if an animal is rescued, it can still suffer from intravascular clotting, hemorrhaging and kidney failure.

“Several years ago there was a little dog that went to the groomer. The lady was at the doctor’s office, and the husband went to pick up the dog, and for some reason put the dog in the trunk,” said Maddock. “Things were delayed, and the dog suffered from heat stroke. He was rushed to the vet, but it was too late for the dog.”

To avoid this happening, experts say it is best to leave animals at home rather than taking them along on summer trips. People who do see an animal alone in a car during hot weather should contact the store where the car is parked. If the owner does not return, call animal control at 541-963-1017 or the police department immediately.

“During this time of year, leave your dogs home,” said Maddock.