When temperatures rise in Houston, so does the urgency to keep yourself and your pets safe. That includes never leaving a pet unattended in a car in the heat.
But what happens if you find an animal inside a hot car?
Can you legally break the window to rescue a pet?
The short answer is no.
Jennifer Hauge, legislative affairs manager at Animal Legal Defense Fund, joined KPRC 2+ Now to talk about an effort to change that in Texas.
“When animals are in these emergency situations people should be able to intervene,” said Hauge. “What makes it so dangerous is that, in only a few minutes, a car can heat up to deadly temperatures.”
Hauge adds that dogs and other companion animals are particularly vulnerable to die from heat stroke because they can’t cool themselves like humans.
So what happens if you do see an unattended pet?
“Call 911, that’s your best option today,” said Hauge. “But we’re working on passing a law in the future that would make Texas like one of the 14 other states in the nation that have a Good Samaritan Law that enables citizens to be able to help in these situations.”
Inside efforts toward Texas legislation
Hauge says that legislation is called the Hot Dogs Law and it goes back to 2017 when Texas passed a similar law for children or vulnerable people left in cars.
To learn more about the legislation and how you can help get it passed, watch the interview above or check out the legislation here: HB3756/SB2421.