I really don't think a small window or a larger one makes a lot of difference unless you're taking windscreen size.
Also Huskies were bred to withstand very cold temperatures - they find it difficult to cope with any level of heat. A Husky sledding operation I visited in Norway said they werre reluctant to let their pensioned dogs go too far south (I think they defind that as further south than about Oslo) to their new carers once they had finished sledding for that reason.
Before Gustave Eiffel built his famous Parisian tower he built a house made of cast iron plates in Maputo/Mozambique, which is still standing, next to what was the Botanical Garden.
Impossible to go in due to intense heat, it's like a giant oven which is extremely efficient.
Currently the Min of Culture own/run it, it is covered and i mean covered in external split box air-con units but still goes regularly over 50'°C
I guess that means break a small window to be able to open the car door
I’d say break the closest window. Don’t worry about the car owners.
To expand on this:
Yes, you are allowed to break into a car if there is immediate mortal danger. In other cases, it is not so clear. As we all know, no good deed goes unpunished, so:
First, assess the level of danger the animal is in.
If low, try to find the owner - i.e., if in a shopping mall, get the license number, ask the management to broadcast over the speaker system calling the owner to their car.
If moderate, call the police. Let them be the ones to break into the car, to free you from liability. They have the tools to break into the car without (much) damage.
If the animal is in distress and you believe the situation is urgent: Call the police, tell them the animal is in i mmediate mortal danger * and could die before they arrive. Tell them what you are about to do, get their permission. Enlist another passer-by as a witness. Then you can try to break the window.
If you cannot reach the police, make sure you have a witness who can corraberate the danger level, as it can end up like the case Mrs. D highlights. If there is no one around, and if the urgency of the situation allows time to do this, film the animals.
Be cautious when you take the animals out of the car, as an animal in distress can act erratically.
First try to adminster water, while the animal is still in the car.
Before taking the animal out, try to find something to act as an ersatz lead on the animal, as you don't want him running into traffic. (Most dog owners will have leads in the car.)
Try to soak the animal with water, to help bring the body temperature down.
Call the nearest emergency vet's office for further advice.
* In weather like this, immediate mortal danger is pretty much given.
tl;dr: When in doubt, call the police and follow their advice.
But you are legally liable for the damage so by breaking the closest window, which is probably not convenient anyway, you open up to reckless damage claim.
As windscreens are all now laminated glass or feuilleté glass they are incredibly hard to break and make a hole sufficiently large to get a dog out or even more likely as the dog is now cowering in fright, you would have to go it and get it out with the associated risk to yourself crawling over broken glass.
A side widow by comparison could be considered reasonable as you could then open the door and the cost is not so much, thus leaving the defence that you minimised damages in order to safe the dog.
I think this is about breaking the trunk window vs side window.
The windshield would be a really bad target as the dogs are rarely in the front anyway.
I just don't understand, how can someone leave their dog in the car without a completely open window.
poor dogs.....
even when I am paying in gas station, I leave the window open. and my dog is inside on the leash (can't jump outside) and knows she shouldn't jump outside.
I read that if you leave air conditioning to reuse air inside to e.g. cool the air faster, in 20 min there is big fall of O2 value in the car. there is a reason why people do suicide in cars. how can you think, the dogs will survive closed in the car.....
Bringing this back up, to repeat the points upthread as to what one should do when one sees a dog left in a car - and of course to underscore the danger of leaving a dog (and all sentient beings) in a car in the heat, even if you don’t think it’s all that hot, or all that sunny, or if you leave the windows open.
Just. Don’t. Do. It.
Seriously - just don’t. Leave your dogs (and other sentient beings) at home, folks!
From the 20 Min:
https://www.20min.ch/story/passant-w…t-713398846015
Also:
https://www.20min.ch/story/darf-ich-…n-716796126387
A dog in Rorschach died in a hot car, despite the attempts of a passer-by to break the car window to get him out. Unfortunately, help came too late.
The dog owner has been charged, as one would expect…
However, the the police are reminding people that the first thing a passer-by should always do is call them. If you suspect that waiting for the police to arrive puts the animal in mortal danger, get permission from the police to break the windows before you try to do so.
In the case where you have broken a window without first contacting the police, it could become a civil matter of damages between the car owner and the person trying to rescue the animal. By calling the police, you are protected in taking action to try to save the animal.
From the article:
Doch durfte der Passant die Scheibe einschlagen oder hat seine versuchte Rettungsaktion Folgen? «Rechtlich gesehen macht er sich strafbar wegen Sachbeschädigung», so Hanspeter Krüsi, Mediensprecher der Kantonspolizei St. Gallen, auf Anfrage. Dies sei jedoch eine Sache zwischen dem Hundehalter und dem Passanten. «Die Aktion hat nur Konsequenzen, wenn der Hundehalter eine Anzeige macht», sagt Krüsi weiter.
Weiter erklärt der Polizeisprecher: «Falls es die Situation zulässt, sollte auf die Polizei gewartet werden.» Wenn man im Kontakt mit der Polizei steht und angeleitet wird, die Scheibe einzuschlagen, habe dies keine rechtlichen Folgen. «Der gesunde Menschenverstand hat es in diesem Fall so verlangt», sagt Krüsi abschliessend.
Which Deepl translates as:
But was the passerby allowed to smash the window or does his attempted rescue action have consequences? “Legally, he is liable to prosecution for damage to property,” says Hanspeter Krüsi, media spokesman for the St. Gallen cantonal police, when asked. However, he said, this is a matter between the dog owner and the passerby. “The action only has consequences if the dog owner files a complaint,” Krüsi continues.
Further, the police spokesman explains, “If the situation allows it, the police should be waited for.” If one is in contact with the police and is instructed to break the window, there are no legal consequences, he said. “Common sense demanded it in this case,” Krüsi concludes.
Poor, poor pup. Such a cruel and completely avoidable death.
/PSA, again shaking my head that this keeps happening.
I just read a story in the NYTs (paywalled) about people ‘forgetting’ their infant children are in the backseat and .... Well you can imagine. I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen here.
It’s 5 PM and it’s 33° outdoors.
Yeah, saw an article the other day where a grandmother forgot she had her 14 month old grandchild in the car and left them there all day. Child died.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/…ar-8-101911249
How the hell can you forget there’s a child in the car? Even if they’re in the back asleep you should spot them as you get out of your car.
It's happened a few times when the parents take it in turned to take the young child to nursery and the parent has forgotten it was their turn and driven straight to their workplace - after the child has been strapped in.
It happened in Neuchâtel a few years back. Father left the baby in car all day- apparently 'forgot' baby was in car.
I recently bought a VW van, to tour around Switzerland with the pup. I am paranoid about Zola baking in the rear of the van when we're travelling, so I have removed the bulkhead (for air conditioning flow) and also attached a thermometer so I can monitor the temperature whilst we're travelling.
There was severe traffic at the Gotthard tunnel a few weeks back so we pulled over for a break, and I decided to sit in the back while I made a sandwich - with doors closed. Partly so Zola could be free of the leash for a minute, and partly out of curiosity about how quickly it heats up in there.
In 10 minutes (ish), with the engine switched off, the temperature rose from 230 to 370 (Zola & I had gotten out by then!). This would become deadly very quickly.
I'm Aussie, and we are raised with horror stories of pets and babies being cooked in vehicles. But even I was shaken at how quickly a vehicle becomes a oven. It must be an awful way to go.
Hopefully this thread spreads awareness for people who don't know better (yet). Please don't ever risk it, even 'just for a few minutes.' You'll never forgive yourself if the worst happens.
I'm not a parent so I don't feel I can judge, however I have experienced extreme sleep deprivation before, so I sort of feel I can understand how this could happen if parents were particularly exhausted, or had experienced sleep deprivation over a sustained period of time. This kind of thing doesn't make me think of negligence, it just seems utterly tragic. I imagine living with themselves on a day-to-day basis is all the punishment they need.
I am a parent, and I think of all the dumb stuff I did out of exhaustion while raising young kids - leaving suitcases on the roof of the car, forgetting to strap the kids into their seats (luckily I discovered it before going far), forgetting to bring diapers/food/bottles/etc, not holding the kids carefully enough going up the stairs when they decide to wiggle...
When I read stories about kids being left in cars, not to be religious, but I think "there but for the grace of God go I." I can totally see a parent, and me, doing this while operating on autopilot or in a rush.