MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Keep your pets safe in the heat. It’s a message Marana Animal Services is urging you to follow, especially after seeing an uptick in the number of reports of dogs being left in cars.
Clarissa Leyva-Canez, Marana's chief code enforcement and animal control officer, says when they respond to these calls, people typically say they only left their dog in the car for a few minutes.
“Most of the time, I don’t think it’s intentional,” she said. “I think it’s a, ‘I’m just running in really quick.’....the heat can rise just as quickly.”
I wanted to test just how quickly temperatures can rise in a car. When testing this, it was 100 degrees outside.
I then turned off my car and placed a thermometer inside, with doors closed and windows rolled up, for about 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes were up, the thermometer read 120 degrees, which is as high as the thermometer would display.
“Normal dog temperatures – like a normal range is up to 102.5 (degrees)....so them being in that, not having access to water, lack of ventilation, it’s going to override their system and it’s going to cause a very, very dangerous situation for them,” Leyva-Canez explained.
She says in the last month, they have responded to nine calls for dogs being left in cars. She says they typically average one or two.
The town has ordinances in place:
- No person having charge or custody of an animal, as owner or otherwise, shall place or confine the animal or allow the animal to be placed or confined or to remain in a motor vehicle under such conditions or for such period of time as may endanger the health or well-being of the animal due to heat, lack of food or drink, or such other circumstances as may reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability or death.
- No person having dominion or control over a motor vehicle, as owner or otherwise, shall place or confine an animal or allow an animal to be placed or confined or to remain in a motor vehicle under such conditions or for such period of time as may endanger the health or well-being of the animal due to heat, lack of food or drink, or such other circumstances as may reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability, or death.
- Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the transportation of horses, cattle, sheep, poultry or other agricultural livestock in trailers or other vehicles designed and constructed for such purpose.
- Any town enforcement agent is authorized to use whatever force is reasonable and necessary to remove any animal from a vehicle whenever it appears that the animal's life or health is endangered.
- No town enforcement agent shall be liable for damages to property caused by the use of reasonable force to remove an animal from a vehicle under the circumstances described in this section.
- Violation of this section is a class 1 misdemeanor.
“Essentially, if you’re creating a dangerous circumstance for that animal, it’s applicable, which can result in a class one misdemeanor,” Leyva-Canez said.
She asks that if you see a pet left in a hot car, report it. You can contact Marana Animal Services at (520) 382- 8020.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
