There is a campaign afoot. Its aims are to stop you subjecting a beloved member of your family to a horrific death. Well, if like me you own a dog you would consider it a beloved member of the family and do anything to keep it safe from harm right? Well that is not necessarily the case, every year the RSPCA are still called out to rescue 6,000 dogs in distress who have been left in hot cars, usually because the owner is not aware of the deadly consequences. The 'Don't Cook Your Dog' campaign is addressing this by mobilising a pet-loving army to spread the word via charity links, social media, 'lifesaver' packs and celebrity endorsement.
A wave of revulsion swept the UK recently when news was released that yet again trapped police dogs had died, seemingly made all the sadder when you consider that these working dogs should have had such a special relationship with their handlers. A high-profile case such as this highlights just how easy it can be for anyone to be negligent.
Far too often this Summer I have seen evidence of frustrated Twitter users sending out locations and details of trapped, distressed dogs, trying to track down their owners and keeping an eye on them until the police, the RSPCA or a warden turned up. This should just not be happening. I know myself just how easy it is to think 'oh just a few minutes, he'll be fine' but it only takes a few minutes for your car to become a coffin, even with the windows down. Looking at my own dog and imagining what he would go through is just not worth those few minutes. Remember you have a legal duty to care for your dog, but also a moral and personal one, their life is quite literally in your hands so treat it well and don't leave them in your car.
For more on this campaign have a look here or follow @beverleycuddy editor of Dogs Today Magazine.