New penalties for leaving animals in hot cars

The next time Jill Weiszmann comes across a pet locked in the roaster oven of a car on a hot summer day, she will have a weapon other than a cell phone and her concern.

Weiszmann hopes that what she experienced recently in a Cheney supermarket parking lot will never happen again after having had to intercede on behalf of a yellow Labrador retriever she found locked in a car.

But just in case, recently approved Senate Bill 5501 will at least provide the additional threat of fines for people who, according to the text of the law, “Leave an unattended animal in a car, or other enclosed space, where it might be harmed by heat, cold, or lack of water or fresh air will be subject to a $125 fine.”

In Weiszmann’s case, after seeing the dog in the blue Ford Focus on a day when the thermometer reached 96 degrees, she first called police dispatch.

“I walked around the car to see if even the windows were open at all and not one of them was even cracked,” Weiszmann said. She tried the driver’s side door to see if it was open — it was locked.

She pondered whether to wait outside for the police or the owner of the car to arrive, or to go inside the store and ask that they make an announcement over the public address system.

Weiszmann, a member of the Cheney City Council, chose to wait and soon the car’s owner arrived.

“I was just standing there by the back of his car and I said to him, ‘Your dog is in this car and it’s hot out and the windows aren’t even cracked at all,” Weiszmann said.

The guy simply looked at her, got back into the car and closed the door. Weiszmann said to him “What are you thinking, it’s too hot in there and he puts his hand up and (motions) five, indicating he was gone for five minutes.”

“I said ‘five minutes is too long,’” Weiszmann said. The driver looked at Weiszmann and said, “He’s fine.” Weiszmann said “He’s not fine and I just want you to know that the police are on the way.”

That was the end of it and he left, Weiszmann said. She called back to police dispatch to cancel the call.

Each summer the issue is well documented: Do not to leave pets or children in closed cars alone for any period of time because the spaces become extremely dangerous in just a matter of minutes. And each year there are those who ignore the warning.

For instance, when the outside temperature is 75 degrees, it takes just 10 minutes for temps inside to reach 100 degrees. And when it’s 100 degrees outside, inside a car can reach 140 in just 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, local law enforcement officials receive too many calls.

“Not so much kids in cars, but yeah, we get (calls on) dogs in cars on a pretty regular basis,” Cheney Police Department Cmdr. Rick Campbell said. “Even when it wasn’t against the law we would still get the calls and we’d just call SCRAPS.”

Police can take enforcement action, but typically what they do is go open the door, get the animal safe and then call an animal protection agency.

Now that there are financial strings attached, Campbell has a simple suggestion that will not only protect the pet but the owner’s wallet.

“Leave your animal at home when it’s hot,” Campbell said.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.