Every summer we hear about the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars to bake in the sun, but every summer people still turn their cars off and leave their dogs behind.
"Honestly, I think it's selfish,” says Kortney Corley. “I think that pet owners need to care more about their pets.”
"It's just common sense that you don't leave a dog in a car with the windows closed,” says Chuck Reily.
Washoe County Regional Animal Services has already responded to 301 dogs trapped in hot cars this summer. Last year, the agency had just under 500.
"It doesn't take long for a pet’s body temperature to increase, and it's going to start causing stress on the internal organs. And eventually they're going to possibly die,” says Heidi Middlestaedt, Field Supervisor for WCRAS.
Reilly has owned dogs for most of his life. He says his dog Wyatt only comes with him to the park or pet-friendly businesses.
“If we go into, you know, a Scheels or something like that, they're dog friendly, you know,” Reilly says. “He's with us the whole time."
Cars can get much hotter than the surrounding air in the blink of an eye. Temperatures inside can be 20 degrees hotter in just 10 minutes.
“Would you want your car broken into because someone has to save your dog?” Corley says. “Or could you just leave them at home and have a cool car and you're good to go?"
Middlestaedt says officers will assess the situation and try to contact the owner or free the pet through an unlocked door, but if all else fails, they will break windows.
Reba's Law, signed in 2025, allows anyone to do so to save a pet under the right circumstances.
If you see a dog in a hot car, WCRAS says you should call their dispatch at 775-322-DOGS (3647). They'll answer from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. You can also call 9-1-1.
It is unlawful to leave a dog, or any pet for that matter, in a hot car. Violators can pay up to a $1,000 fine and spend up to six months in jail.
