I was not aware of how quickly the amount of time it takes for the inside of a car to drastically increase in temperature to 120 degrees, and blogger Aaron Bonnette cites an article from Examiner.com in order to effectively paint the potential tragic outcome of death that an animal can face if left in this type of situation. I too agree with Bonnette that Texas needs to enforce harsher laws towards pet owners that negligently leave their pets in a parked car.
The Austin American-Statesman just recently updated their July 9, 2013 article “Round Rock police identify woman whose dog died in hot car” about a 24 year old woman from San Antonio who killed her dog because she left it in her parked vehicle in Round Rock. According to the update on the article, Round Rock police dismissed the charge and she only paid a fine in connection with the city ordinance that was violated. The collie mix was left in her car for two hours with the widows closed, and the temperature reaching 140 degrees. Instead of just slapping them with a measly fine, Texas law should make it so that a careless pet owner endures and experiences the same struggle as their powerless animal.
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Compare the warmth of a child to the comfort of a pet. Those who own pets often testify that it is like another kid. The responsibility, the innocence, the unspoken creature and the added attention seeking lead to their being very little difference between a child and a pet. In the article (Adela Moreno, Cruel and Unnecessary, 8/11/2014) the author mentions how the inhumane treatment of leaving pets in the car should be handled with harsher punishment, for which I fully agree with. Animals in the world today have more rights and more laws for their protection, and if they are treated without care to the point where they die, then punishment should be along the same basis of harming a child.
An animal cannot speak for its own right and therefore it is necessary that we create such laws where we need to protect them. Hyperthermia is not a joke when it comes to so many recent incidents in the news. On the news we read about many mothers leaving their babies in the car, which eventually lead to heatstroke and consequently the death of the child. These mothers are held on trial and found guilty on the basis of negligence towards their child. People may argue that a child is not the same thing as a dog, however it is a living creature, for which care has to be provided. If these mothers can be tried for and found guilty for the same crime then why not a pet owner who demonstrated the same amount of negligence in respect to their pet? I whole heartedly agree with the author that the government should take action and not ignore this. A ticket is nearly not enough to bring back a life. Yes the pet cannot speak, however they to need their rights.
Many a times when I go to get my groceries, I see at least one pet sitting in the car waiting for their owner. People justify that leaving the windows down is sufficient enough. Well what if a person sat in that heat with the windows down? Would they agree? Texas heat is not something that is tolerable in a hot metal vehicle for two straight hours while a master shops. I fail to understand that if your pet is not allowed inside then why bring them in the first place and then abandon them for so long in the car. Either way be it human or pet, negligence that leads to death is defined as murder and if a person can held accountable for humans in this regard then they should also be held accountable for their pets.
In order to stop this inhumane behavior the government should take strict precaution and pass a law in understanding for all those owners who leave their pets in the car, resulting to their death will be tried in the same court for justice as parents who forget their child in the car. In this way we will see more of a humanity extended towards these animals.
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