An RSPCA staff member locked himself in the car on a warm day to demonstrate just how bad conditions can get for animals left locked in cars. The employee, Chris O'Brien of RSPCA Cymru recorded himself sitting in his car for 25 minutes outside his Cardiff office to test the conditions that dogs locked in cars would face.
With a digital thermometer and stopwatch in hand, Chris recorded footage at regular intervals highlighting the changes to the conditions within the car and his own body after being stuck for so long. Leaving a dog in a locked car can be fatal - here's what you can do if you see one.
The footage began with the car measuring in at 23.3C, however, this quickly began climbing. Within five minutes, the temperature had already risen to 35.1C. An amber weather alert has already been issued for parts of Wales and England next week as temperatures are expected to reach 34C in some areas.
READ MORE : The terminally ill 'sausage dog' searching for a last loving home before her tail stops wagging for ever
Chris stated: "I am baking, it is so, so hot in here. I can't even begin to tell you. Obviously I'm sweating a lot. Dogs obviously sweat very differently to humans and regulate their body temperature in a very very different way." He also noted that everything within the car had become very hot to touch.
Within ten minutes the temperature had raised to 43.6C, and Chris started to notice a big difference in how he felt. He described noticing his heart beating and his breath getting slightly heavier.
Physically, Chris had become extremely flushed and was sweating. He explained how he knew he could leave the car at any time also, which a dog wouldn't understand and therefore the dog could be more panicked in these conditions, making them worse.
By the time 15 minutes had passed the temperature had over doubled, reaching 48.8C, and soon passed the 50C mark by 17 minutes. Chris stated: "Everything in the car is absolutely boiling," and added, "I cannot imagine how a dog would feel"
Hitting the 20-minute mark, the temperature had reached 53.1C, rising to 57.1C by 25 minutes. "I cannot believe the impact this has had in such a short space of time," Chris shared. "This is so dangerous. Never leave a dog in a hot car."
RSPCA campaigns manager Carrie Stones said: "With normality returning to people's lives this summer in Wales, it's more important than ever that we spread the word - dogs die in hot cars. Up to 30 million Brits are expected to holiday in the UK in 2022, and many of us will be taking our four-legged friends along - so these reminders will be vital.
"Awareness raising measures like this from the Welsh Government will help save the lives of dogs. We welcome any steps to remind motorists that - not long is too long when a dog is left in a car. Even a quick stop-off at a shop could prove fatal as temperatures escalate.
"If anyone sees a dog in distress in a hot car, they should dial 999 immediately - but we hope, each year, more and more people will get the message about not exposing their dogs to the potentially fatal heat."
Read next:
