COURT HOUSE – During Labor Day Weekend, Middle Township will host a vehicle altered specifically to demonstrate the danger of leaving children and pets in hot cars. The Middle Township Animal Advisory Board has recently been clarifying and updating ordinances which protect animals in extreme weather situations including being left unattended in cars on hot days.
David Thompson of Lakeside Collision Carstar in Mt. Laurel noticed the publicized efforts of Middle Township on behalf of pets while vacationing with his family in North Wildwood. Thompson works repairing cars and volunteers as a “child passenger safety technician,” having inspected more than 1,000 car seats over six years for parents to transport their children safely. A newsletter for passenger safety technicians shared the grim statistics of child deaths in hot cars and propelled Thompson into action. He customized a car with inside and outside thermometers to visually establish the danger of children being left in cars in the heat. Then, he parked the car in busy parking lots to drive home the message that something tragic can happen in a short period of time. In 2014, 22 children died in hot cars.
Thompson shares that “this has been a learning experience.” He is frequently approached by people concerned about leaving pets in cars; however, information is not available for the number of animals who die in hot cars each year. The American Humane Society suggests that in this area, 70 degrees on a sunny day is too hot for dogs left alone in cars. Within ten minutes the temperature could rise to 89 degrees and in a half hour it would drive the thermometer to 104 deadly degrees. The best option for the safety of your pet is to leave him or her home. Few realize that temperatures inside dog houses, especially plastic ones, can be just as high as those in cars. Unless thoroughly ventilated, they do not protection from the heat. Pets spending more than a few moments outside should be provided with shade throughout the day. Move dog houses and rabbit hutches into shady areas during the summer. Be sure plenty of cool, clean water is available, too.
“One of the top priorities of the Animal Advisory Board has been to bring more public awareness to the effects of summer heat on our pets,” Mayor Tim Donohue said. “Even as we head towards cooler temperatures, animals left in closed vehicles at only seventy degrees are still in danger of heat-related health problems.”
Thompson hopes that plenty of people will see his concept vehicle and take home the message of protection for your children and pets. Follow Thompson on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LakesideCollisionCARSTAR.
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