# Good Tip.....Really ???



## Shane'sDad (Jul 22, 2010)

I found this interesting...actually irritating is a better term......it's been unseasonably hot here in Virginia for a few days....as everybody knows it's the "norm" to see stories on the news ( pick a location )...about a child or a pet left in a HOT car while someone "shops" or even goes to work....many times things don't end well....it's started in the Richmond area again.... 



So this morning local news.. before a commercial break I hear...." Stay tuned for some tips on what you can do to avoid locking your child or pet in a hot car ".....I stayed tuned and here it is...." put something IMPORTANT in the back seat with your child or pet like a purse--lap top--briefcase or phone so you won't forget the child or pet "...so here's my take away from that story.....put something important in the back seat with your UNIMPORTANT child / pet so you won't forget them....I really wonder if any stories are "proofed" or actually thought about before they're read on the air.....


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

I keep getting memes on FB featuring a dog and/or child titled if you HAVE to be told it's TOO HOT to leave them in a car, you are TOO STUPID to have one


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## Erros (May 26, 2019)

My local news station ran a similar program a few days ago. Theres no way that this many people "forget" their dogs or children in the backseat, I assume it is just an excuse for when they are caught!


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## tc68 (May 31, 2006)

I still don't get that this is still a problem. Are people that stupid?!


.........removed........please remain on topic.....


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## LRP (May 8, 2019)

Erros said:


> My local news station ran a similar program a few days ago. Theres no way that this many people "forget" their dogs or children in the backseat, I assume it is just an excuse for when they are caught!


When I take my puppies with me on car runs I have 100 lbs of GSD staring at me from the backseat.... I could not even imagine forgetting they are there. :gsdhead: :gsdhead:


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I doubt "these people" will put their phone on the back seat. I read about a sensor that alerts when something alive is left in the car. Maybe just in a Tesla though. Cars need to be smarter than people.


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## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

So wrong on so many levels. First one: How to increase the chances of child/pet endangerment when you have forgotten them. Even if the heat doesn't get them a thief might.

That's just nuts.


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## Clare (Feb 6, 2005)

My phone is NOT more important than my dogs thank you very much. I'd leave the phone 110 times out of 110 before I left my dogs.


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

Exactly what I used to think until I read this Pulitzer prize winning article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifes...e0fe3a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html

This happens to very good parents. The lizard brain kicks in--your brain goes on automatic pilot and you actually think you dropped your baby off at daycare or whatever when you didn't

It can happen to anyone:

http://www.nanny2u.com.au/the-thing-about-forgetting-kids-in-cars/

Obviously not talking about the scumbags who do this on purpose.

Kids weren't really forgotten in cars until the early 1990s, when the rules changed and you had to put little kids in the back seat.

You can't stop these horrors unless you accurately understand why they happen. And leaving something you can't function without in the back seat is a darn good way to prevent these tragedies.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

People get on autopilot. We are all so busy and our brains are overloaded. Often, the story I read is that the one person usually takes the baby to the daycare. Then the other needs to take them one day and on the way, they turn to go to work because their brain is already there (at 7:30 this morning my brain was at work on the drive in. I mentally redid a plumbing design for 3 restrooms and a janitors closet). So they turn and the baby is sleeping in the back, never making a sound, park the car and off they go.

In the 1990s, we didn't have cell phones and computers speeding up our lives to the point that a human brain can't function. Look up that. Some pretty interesting stuff out there on that.

I almost drove off for training one morning with my dog sitting on the porch because someone changed the plot on me and my brain fell out. My friend was like "uhhhh...you are missing something" We need some fail safes to stop this. My worst nightmare is leaving my dogs in the car because they don't make a sound. I can't imagine what parents experience when they do this.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Jax08 said:


> I almost drove off for training one morning with my dog sitting on the porch because someone changed the plot on me and my brain fell out. My friend was like "uhhhh...you are missing something" We need some fail safes to stop this.


Ha, ha, I once drove off to lure coursing practice and after a few miles from home realized that I had not taken the Whippets with me. They must have been in panic mode as they knew very well what happens after the car is packed for this event.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I've got to training without a crate, I've got 120 miles of a 150 mile trip to training and realized all my gear was at home. The dogs were with me. I've driven in to work on a holiday, I've driven to work when I was headed to the barn. But I have always managed to know when I have my dogs along, where to park in what temperature. But I can see getting distracted.


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## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

JonRob said:


> Exactly what I used to think until I read this Pulitzer prize winning article:
> 
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifes...e0fe3a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html
> 
> ...


Thank you for providing the links. I just read the first one and need time to digest. Thank you for this and helping me understand.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

It's weird how we zone out sometimes. Just before Thanksgiving 1993, I had child #2. I hadn't gotten my Christmas stocking candy, so took my kids to K-Mart. Baby was lying in the cart. Toddler was sitting in the cart seat. I picked up a bag of Hershey miniatures and tossed them past the toddler into the cart. I immediately heard, "WHAAAAA!" Oopsie baby. Forgot about you. She's 25 now and mostly OK. I didn't leave her in the cart or the car, so that's good.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

Jax08 said:


> People get on autopilot. We are all so busy and our brains are overloaded. Often, the story I read is that the one person usually takes the baby to the daycare. Then the other needs to take them one day and on the way, they turn to go to work because their brain is already there (at 7:30 this morning my brain was at work on the drive in. I mentally redid a plumbing design for 3 restrooms and a janitors closet). So they turn and the baby is sleeping in the back, never making a sound, park the car and off they go.
> 
> In the 1990s, we didn't have cell phones and computers speeding up our lives to the point that a human brain can't function. Look up that. Some pretty interesting stuff out there on that.
> 
> I almost drove off for training one morning with my dog sitting on the porch because someone changed the plot on me and my brain fell out. My friend was like "uhhhh...you are missing something" We need some fail safes to stop this. My worst nightmare is leaving my dogs in the car because they don't make a sound. I can't imagine what parents experience when they do this.


^ This very true and an important message.

It's ironically the overconfident that are in more danger of being human and screwing up, because they think you have to be "stupid" to have a brain fart. That would be false. You just have to have a loaded schedule that varies day by day, be tired stressed and distracted. Pretty much modern plugged in life. I drove away from the gym one day with my kid still in the daycare. I usually didn't have him with me on weekdays when I hit the gym for noon classes. He was normally at his prek program but that day he wasn't.

Listen if you have a varied schedule and sometimes you have dogs, sometimes you are the one dropping the kids, sometimes you aren't ...all this in the midst of juggling career,being rushed, guess what? it can happen to anyone and it is HORRIFIC and the person who made the mistake wishes they were dead. I know someone who forgot their infant in the car because the wife usually dropped the baby to daycare and he usually dropped the older kids before going to work. He is by no means an incompetent person. It took him 15 or 20 minutes to suddenly remember..it was a mild cool day thank God.

I think with this message that was spread around they made a mistake by using "important". They should have said put something you cant leave the car without, regardless if you have kids, animals or not. I always put my purse in the back because pretty much in life no matter where I go, regardless of who I have with me, I need my purse (or laptop bag when working) and my phone. And I think about it without variance when getting out of the vehicle. Cant go into the store or a work appointment without it. I have bluetooth for calls it is way safer to have the phone out of reach for a LOT of reasons. 

It was good advice that was poorly worded, who ever generated this PSA advice.


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## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

It's making a lot more sense now with all the different perspectives and extra info. I haven't forgotten my kids in the car but have been guilt jolted into awareness with a hollered cry "my hand" when I closed the window. Too busy thinking about other things to check first. It's terrible too because normally a parents #1 top priority is the safety of their kids.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

Heartandsoul said:


> It's making a lot more sense now with all the different perspectives and extra info. I haven't forgotten my kids in the car but have been guilt jolted into awareness with a hollered cry "my hand" when I closed the window. Too busy thinking about other things to check first. It's terrible too because normally a parents #1 top priority is the safety of their kids.


It's pretty simple how it can happen. Do you always have your baby/toddler/dog with you when you go to the store? No. The mall? No. The Gym? No. Work? No. Do you go into these places without your wallet/ID cards etc? Never. So put your bag in the back.

People aren't forgetting their dog or kids when they go to parks, visiting relatives etc. They are forgetting them when they go places that the dogs and kids are not intrinsic to. Add to that how people are often on the phone going to and from. How many times have you said "hold on you're about to come off the bluetooth". I'm not saying it is forgivable or common. It absolutely means you were careless and distracted. I'm saying it can happen to the best of us and a wise person will err on the side of caution and use helpful tricks to make sure the unthinkable doesn't happen.

Again I think it is a poorly worded but good piece of advice. I do it. I also have a 24/7 temperature monitor in my car that I love (Animalarm). It vibrates my phone with an alert when the temp go out of safe range. We always have our phones...


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## Shane'sDad (Jul 22, 2010)

The different posts ended up making me really think about changes from the 1980s and present times.....baby seats in the front seat versus baby seats in the back AND rearward facing nowadays.....people today are routine driven and operate on "auto pilot" and anything out of the ordinary throws them off...so I can see how it happens......as for phones I'm "old school" i have a nice smart phone but it's rarely turned on....I mainly use it for photos and blue tooth music......nowadays most folks live and die by their phone and their daily routine...every body at one time or the other has forgotten something and left it at home or in the car--Ive done that many times.....I'm a "senior" now but..I'd like to think I'd never forget my child or dog and lock them in a vehicle....at least I hope that's true......and thanks all !


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

My oldest daughter works for an "adventure" company. They take people on white water, skiing, wilderness hikes etc.... They have as part of their pre trip class a discussion on cell phones and "withdrawal" as they will not have service for several days and this can be too much for some folks. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that, all my kids have had many, many, technology free weekends in the northern Rockies and they have all enjoyed it.


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## Kyrielle (Jun 28, 2016)

Nigel said:


> My oldest daughter works for an "adventure" company. They take people on white water, skiing, wilderness hikes etc.... They have as part of their pre trip class a discussion on cell phones and "withdrawal" as they will not have service for several days and this can be too much for some folks. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that, all my kids have had many, many, technology free weekends in the northern Rockies and they have all enjoyed it.


Read up on dopamine hits in regards to notifications of all types. It's like consuming a drug every time you get a notification, or a phone call, or even just opening up to the home screen.

Smart phones, and technology in general, have royally messed up our brains. We are actually physically and psychologically addicted to them. Either we have to find a way to speed up our evolution so our brains can handle the constant cognitive load, start training people from infancy how to handle that load, or create devices that minimize the dopamine hits.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

It is true. I has a drug like euphoric effect. Even my 69 year old mother questions me and worries when I don't answer a text for like say 5 hours or more. I was hiking....

We are absolutely evolving in the awareness and instinct department and not for the better due to all this instant connectivity. Nobody has to figure things out anymore. Instant answers in your palm.

It is a deep and concerning topic.

With disabled kids I have the house set up for safe fun for them because I need another set of hands to go anywhere with them... I don't get a lot of company so on my kids weekends I can get very isolated and connect with people with my phone. Then I find myself checking it more when I am out. Add working from home 3 days a week to that...I am not afraid to admit it is something I am trying to change for myself.


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## Kyrielle (Jun 28, 2016)

CometDog said:


> It is true. I has a drug like euphoric effect. Even my 69 year old mother questions me and worries when I don't answer a text for like say 5 hours or more. I was hiking....
> 
> We are absolutely evolving in the awareness and instinct department and not for the better due to all this instant connectivity. Nobody has to figure things out anymore. Instant answers in your palm.
> 
> ...


Do you ever find yourself craving working with your hands? As in, a craving to farm/garden, build something, sculpt, or anything physically demanding either in terms of sheer strength, dexterity, and/or raw attention to real world objects. I get that the more I attach to technology.

It's like my brain is screaming for a more natural activity.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Kyrielle said:


> Do you ever find yourself craving working with your hands? As in, a craving to farm/garden, build something, sculpt, or anything physically demanding either in terms of sheer strength, dexterity, and/or raw attention to real world objects. I get that the more I attach to technology.
> 
> It's like my brain is screaming for a more natural activity.


Yes. And silence. Dead silence. The world is so noisy.


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## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

Yup. I love raging war with the prickered bramble that creeps from the woods onto the property. It's hard work. Thinking about it, afterwards I crave good food rather than junk. I bet it is all connected. Technology, how we feed our bodies while using the gadgets and memory.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

Kyrielle said:


> Do you ever find yourself craving working with your hands? As in, a craving to farm/garden, build something, sculpt, or anything physically demanding either in terms of sheer strength, dexterity, and/or raw attention to real world objects. I get that the more I attach to technology.
> 
> It's like my brain is screaming for a more natural activity.


For the last 2 decades I have accomplished learning and then elevated to instructing firearms and martial arts. Then I had kids starting in 2006. Then I typed more than did. Trying to remember how good it felt to do.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Shane'sDad said:


> I found this interesting...actually irritating is a better term......it's been unseasonably hot here in Virginia for a few days....as everybody knows it's the "norm" to see stories on the news ( pick a location )...about a child or a pet left in a HOT car while someone "shops" or even goes to work....many times things don't end well....it's started in the Richmond area again....
> 
> 
> 
> So this morning local news.. before a commercial break I hear...." Stay tuned for some tips on what you can do to avoid locking your child or pet in a hot car ".....I stayed tuned and here it is...." put something IMPORTANT in the back seat with your child or pet like a purse--lap top--briefcase or phone so you won't forget the child or pet "...so here's my take away from that story.....put something important in the back seat with your UNIMPORTANT child / pet so you won't forget them....I really wonder if any stories are "proofed" or actually thought about before they're read on the air.....


I keep thinking about this and it annoys me. I read the links and I looked at the research and I still just don't get it. 
I have 8 million things on my mind right now. I am continuously stressed, over tired and confused. I am lost most of the time. I am STILL hyper aware of the fact that my dog is in her crate in the backseat of the truck. I have walked out of several line ups now, either groceries or take out, because time was up and I just won't risk it.
I am the ultimate multi tasker, a classic type A, identified by my job and generally running on no sleep, not enough food, living on coffee and cigarettes. 
I have never, ever forgotten the kids or the dogs. Ever! And since I am broke and drive junk I don't need a news alert to tell me it's hot out. 
I use my phone a lot, I'm on my phone a lot. It will never be as important as my dog. 

But perhaps it's because a key part of my personality is guardian. It overrides even the severe introvert that I am. Even under severe stress, in emergencies, when my brain is on serious auto pilot the need to safeguard those in my care screams to the forefront. And generally those in my care are anyone or thing in my vicinity.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

About a year ago, I went out with my sister and on the way out of Clothes Mentor, we passed a car that had a baby in it. My sister saw it, I didn't. She mentioned it, and I refused to get into our car, I was going to wait until the lady came out, and then leave. But my sister, went to go back in there, and I went with her. 

She said to the lady, "Is that your [whatever the make of the car was]?" and the lady said yes, and my sister said that her radio was on, and gave her the hairy eyeball. The woman left and floored it out of there. 

Leaving an infant in the car, even for moments will get the cops called on you, and probably should. But my sister just handled it her own way. We were not going to risk that baby dying in the car in any event. But people are human. Sometimes we all need a little grace. I would be horrified if I let one of my dogs roast in my car, but I would never say impossible. Less possible now that I don't have the explorer, and can't fit a crate in the car. But we, all of us are human. If there is some trick or gadget that will make it less likely to leave a kid or dog in the car, like normally stowing your purse in the back seat, then what does it hurt to do it?


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

I have not read a single link here in this thread. But I have raised kids, and never once forgot them in any car, mine or otherwise. I do understand autopilot, but not so much when it comes to kids or dogs. I've never forgotten either. 

That being said, one time while visiting a liquor store after dark a car reversing did come awful close to me, so I looked to give the driver an "evil eye" and noticed that a 3 yr old was driving! I sprinted for the car to open the door and get it stopped. But just as I got there it was about to make a solid impact with a flatbed trailer attached to a pickup, so I waited until after the crash to grab the youngster (who was unhurt BTW). 

The lady who owned the car was in said liquor store buying booze, and when she saw her kid in my arms walking in frantically ran out to her car and kept saying over and over how upset her husband was going to be about the damage (her trunk was pretty well compacted). But not one worry about the child or his welfare!

Make all the excuses you want about lizard or primitive brain function, but you don't forget what's important to you EVER! You just don't...


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## Kyrielle (Jun 28, 2016)

Jax08 said:


> Yes. And silence. Dead silence. The world is so noisy.


God, yes. We go up to a cabin at least once a year just to decompress. I can easily sit on that porch watching the sun rise over the mountains for a solid hour, just listening to the world wake up and go from quietude to birdsong.


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## Shane'sDad (Jul 22, 2010)

Sabis mom said:


> I keep thinking about this and it annoys me. I read the links and I looked at the research and I still just don't get it.
> I have 8 million things on my mind right now. I am continuously stressed, over tired and confused. I am lost most of the time. I am STILL hyper aware of the fact that my dog is in her crate in the backseat of the truck. I have walked out of several line ups now, either groceries or take out, because time was up and I just won't risk it.
> I am the ultimate multi tasker, a classic type A, identified by my job and generally running on no sleep, not enough food, living on coffee and cigarettes.
> I have never, ever forgotten the kids or the dogs. Ever! And since I am broke and drive junk I don't need a news alert to tell me it's hot out.
> ...





I agree with you 100%.....I think a lot really depends on how "addicted" an individual is to their phone on a day to day basis....a smart phone is like many things in this modern world...a VERY useful tool that can assist folks in their day to day lives...however when someone can't function day to day with out their phone it's no longer a tool.....it's an addiction and for me that would be a scary place to realize I was in.....it's strange in a way for me to feel as I do overall about phones because ( I'll "date" myself here ) many years ago I was the first person I knew who had a "bag phone".....now why did I have this phone ??.....because being a member of a gun club for many years I wanted to be able to reach out to my wife when headed home near the end of the day and since the club's shooting ranges were in a pretty remote area a cellular phone COULD be a life saver...but again it was simply a useful tool to have with me.....I'm glad I've never had to ask myself.....am i addicted to my phone ?......could I live without it ?

On another note I think wolfy and selzer mentioned gadgets or technology to prevent locking kids or pets in cars it's here ( in a way) and has been for many years....as I've said here before..I owned my own auto repair shops and worked at multiple dealerships as a tech or shop foreman.....,approx. 18 years ago I worked for Volvo.... as an accessory/add on a customer could order "sonar" as a part of the anti theft alarm system...this would literally sense movement from a house fly...I had a customer who left his window barely cracked....bugs got in and voila for no apparent reason-lights flashing-siren and horns going off...my point is 3-5 minutes after the doors were locked with the remote and the system fully armed itself if a child or dog OR a thief laying down in the back seat even blinked or breathed hard WHILE INSIDE THE CAR... the dead would wake up when the alarm went off.....I suspect by now most all manufacturers are capable of the same thing.....BUT if it was marketed as a "save your child or pet thing".....the manufacturer is afraid of the liability if something happened and a child died be it failure of the cars system OR failure of the owner/driver...who knows it may be right around the corner maybe 2020 model year for some cars...in todays world I DO think it would sell......but if I was CEO of Ford-GM -Toyota I would not want the blame put on my product when the parents had a brain fart.and had failed to "arm" the system...JMO.....


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## CactusWren (Nov 4, 2018)

I saw someone leave their pooch in the car when they went to get Frozen Yogurt. Windows just cracked. It was in the nineties already, here in Arizona.


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## Saco (Oct 23, 2018)

There is a lot of science out there showing the importance of silence for human health. It is so important that "soundscapes" are considered part of our national parks. I seek out silence as much as possible, often up in the mountains. Just the birds, panting dogs maybe. So restful. 

I use my phone but don't get data on it, when away from WIFI on purpose now (at first it was a phone glitch). That really limits dependence. 

As for kids and dogs, no, I have never come close to forgetting them. There is no higher priority in my life than keeping them safe.


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

The folks who took the time to read the articles in the links know that this has nothing to do with "forgetting" your kid or dog.

It's about your lizard brain--and we all have one--telling you that your kid or dog is safe because you dropped him off at the day care center or whatever even though you didn't.

The folks most likely to do something like this are the ones who are absolutely sure they never would. Because they won't question their lizard brain when it kicks in.

When I read the headline of of the first linked article I got so mad I was about ready to spit nails. But then I read it. What a jolt to my head that was. And I got it.

I raised three kids many years ago and never left any of them behind in the car. But that was long before backward facing car seats in the rear seat were required for little kids. Your lizard brain can't convince you your kid is in daycare when he's in the front seat and not hidden by a car seat.

If I had kids I was carting around today, I would take every precaution to prevent a lizard brain tragedy.

I have never left a dog behind in a car but after reading those articles I started taking extra precautions. Something as simple as shutting a leash in a door so it will fall out when the driver opens the door will work.

The kids and dogs who belong to folks who read the articles and got it are truly blessed.

Some great points have been made about more and more distractions in our lives. No question it's worse today but the lizard brain thing has always been a problem. Long ago when someone headed for work instead of church because his lizard brain told him it was a weekday, the guy would laugh and shake his head and say, "The horse headed back to the barn." That's what we called autopilot back then.

Great points also made about the bad wording of telling someone to put something "important" like your purse or phone next to the kid in the car seat. The idea here is to leave something with the kid that you are sure to notice you don't have soon after you leave the car.

These simple precautions can't hurt and will save lives.

But as we've seen in this thread, many folks refuse to take these precautions. Which is why car manufacturers need to put in some kind of failsafe that can't be bypassed. Like that hysterical dinging your car makes when you try to leave the car with its lights on. Car manufacturers know how to do this--there are several methods--but they won't unless the government requires them to.

I gave up long ago trying to convince people who don't want to be convinced. But I do know some folks got it and their kids and dogs are a lot safer now. That's all I can do. Back to the dog training . . .


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## Saco (Oct 23, 2018)

I did read the article.

My "lizard brain" still includes checking for dog/kid safety as part of the routine. It's an always-everyday thing. To check on dog/kid safety whether they are in the car or in the house or outdoors... I do it daily, whenever I leave, whenever I travel anywhere. Every.Single.Time. I'm not obsessive about it, but I always, but always do a safety check, even when I am late or tired or in a huge hurry. 

I even remember to close in the chickens at night... and they are far lower importance to me. 

Don't discount lizard brains. Reptiles can be quite intelligent and even emotional, contrary to what we generally believe.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Saco said:


> I did read the article.
> 
> My "lizard brain" still includes checking for dog/kid safety as part of the routine. It's an always-everyday thing. To check on dog/kid safety whether they are in the car or in the house or outdoors... I do it daily, whenever I leave, whenever I travel anywhere. Every.Single.Time. I'm not obsessive about it, but I always, but always do a safety check, even when I am late or tired or in a huge hurry.


My paranoia should probably be medicated. My dogs are so quite that I check to make sure I have them every time I stop. Especially after I left him sitting on the steps wondering where I was going without him.

I do often forget that I let him outside and go looking for him 20 minutes later.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Saco said:


> I did read the article.
> 
> My "lizard brain" still includes checking for dog/kid safety as part of the routine. It's an always-everyday thing. To check on dog/kid safety whether they are in the car or in the house or outdoors... I do it daily, whenever I leave, whenever I travel anywhere. Every.Single.Time. I'm not obsessive about it, but I always, but always do a safety check, even when I am late or tired or in a huge hurry.
> 
> ...


I completely agree.
I read the article as well and another and another. 

I remain unconvinced. I am pushing 50. I had a baby, a toddler, various dogs and assorted other pets. I had a spouse three provinces away for a few years. I worked two jobs, lived on call and drove a 1980 Olds which was eventually replaced by an 84 Dodge Diplomat, neither of which possessed anything that resembled a warning system and the children always rode in the back seat. On a good night I could swing 4 hours of sleep. I SURVIVED on auto pilot, and disruptions happened all the time. I was too broke to pay attention and stressed to the max. I never forgot one of the kids. 
When Sabs and I started patrols I worked 15-18 hours a day, I once worked for 4 months without a single day off and I always had the dog in the truck, usually in the box. 1992 GMC Sonoma, again no smart things. I slept with my cell phone, managed a measly 2-3 hours of sleep most nights and could give you multiple scary incidents of me arriving at a location with absolutely NO recollection of how I had arrived. I still never forgot the dog.
I am not even sure what town I am in most days. I make multiple trips to haul our gear into whatever crappy motel we are staying in. Shadow is always unloaded last. I am dealing with realtors, lawyers and other annoying people on the phone constantly. I have yet to forget the dog.
The closest I ever came to forgetting a live being was putting Sabi outside and falling asleep on the couch. She was a bit disgruntled but otherwise unharmed when I woke up three hours later. Had she been in any real distress she could have let herself in so I doubt it taxed her much.
I just don't buy it. Or maybe I simply am not evolved enough to have a lizard brain.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

I could say the same about my life, amount of kids, busy careers, single mom, semi paying hobbies that keep me overbooked. 

I have never forgotten children or dogs in a car. Forgot I had bought the baby to the gym daycare once, momentarily (didnt leave the parking space) because I never took him during the day usually. It was not a dangerous situation so maybe I was a bit more at ease. 

I always know where my kids are. I have 2 disabled relatively non verbal kids...and a pool. The little one has CP and can't swim. I ALWAYS know where he is because I am concerned about the pool. I have NEVER lost track of him and find he is anywhere near the pool. HOWEVER I have a self closing latching gate that he can't climb, and an alarm on it. Because I am also not a big enough fool to be overconfident and things can't happen to me. 

Both boys are runners. Autism. I have never had them slip me, because I am hyper aware of the danger..but I still have Angelsense GPS on them. Guess I am just a lizard brained fool. 

From a documented psychology statistics standpoint, those who think only fools can have a momentary brain lapse are at highest risk, because they think extra insurance policies are only for the mere humans. There have been VOLUMES written on Grandiosity. One of the hallmarks of it is thinking mistakes and bad things can only be made by others. I know,m I divorced that lol. Like all else Grandiosity is a spectrum. Some have it a little, some a lot. 

I know a guy who is responsible for teaching elite level firearms and combat response to a certain alphabet organization. After decades of doing, he now teaches. He would be the first one to advocate something like this, and the first to laugh at someone who thinks they are so mentally on the ball they are infallible. For instance, he teaches everyone to put something you need in your bedroom firearms safe, night meds if you take them, the book you are reading etc. That way you are practiced in opening and shutting your safe. He never shuts his light out unless he verifies his safe is locked. Muscle memory. He never puts his duty gun or any gun down on ANY surface of the house, so it eliminates forgetting "that one time". His firearm only touches his holster, or the felt in his safe. He has taught us a bunch of life tricks to to pay attention while out and about. 

He is decorated, has an infallible record, and is responsible for teaching those to keep us safe exactly how to do so. No offense to anyone one here, but I'd take a page out of his book any day over the " I would never, so I need no safeguards" crowd. He opens plenty of training scenarios with "over confidence kills" 

I mean, to each his own, if you feel like you never would make a mistake, you "most likely" never will. But you should not preach against the mere mortals who like to share a safety tip.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

CometDog said:


> I could say the same about my life, amount of kids, busy careers, single mom, semi paying hobbies that keep me overbooked.
> 
> I have never forgotten children or dogs in a car. Forgot I had bought the baby to the gym daycare once, momentarily (didnt leave the parking space) because I never took him during the day usually. It was not a dangerous situation so maybe I was a bit more at ease.
> 
> ...


Life and all the "going on's" can find a way to bite you in the arse at times, never say never.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I think it is much more helpful to ourselves to understand anything is possible.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Nigel said:


> Life and all the "going on's" can find a way to bite you in the arse at times, never say never.


I've left the back hatch to my car open the last two days in a row as I started to drive away....with my dog in the back crate enjoying the view. Nifty little "dummy, your tailgate is up" alarm went off.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Oddly the things I forget. lose and leave behind are my purse, wallet and phone. Cannot count the number of times I have had to go back and get them. My poor phone has been left about everywhere and I managed to lock four sets of keys to the Diplomat in it. Not once but twice. I was famous for leaving my house not just unlocked but open, neighbors were forever closing the door for me. And shoes. When I was younger I was horrible for losing shoes. I just liked being barefoot and would slip my shoes off and forget them. 
But I never forgot the kids or the dogs. I am not conceited enough to swear it couldn't happen, I just can't foresee the circumstance where it would.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

As a diligent, caring, loving, responsible parent and dog owner, I'd love to be able to say, "I'd never forget a child or leave my dog in the car", except over the decades, I've done both. (Only once!) Neither child or dog were injured or harmed, but it could so easily have turned out terribly, horribly wrong. We're all human, we're all fallible. Brain farts happen.


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## ktmom (Jun 25, 2014)

I usually just lurk on these forums, but this time I thought I'd add my story.

As another member commented, I too have a disabled child. He was tantruming badly when we got home one day, several years ago. Rainbow, our then 3 yo GSD was with us in the van. Normally I grab the leash, let Rainbow out of her crate, then grab my son out of his seat, grab Rainbow's leash and head in. 

This time I was focused on dealing with the head banging, flailing and generally difficult behaviors so I told Rainbow to stay, left her sitting in the van, out of her crate with the side door open, planning to come get her as soon as I got my son inside. 

Needless to say, I ended up forgetting about her and a good hour later thought to myself, where's the dog? Suddenly realizing my mistake, I bolted outside expecting to be on a dog hunt, but there was my good girl, calmly watching the world go by exactly where I left her.

It can happen to anyone ?


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## Gowacky (Jun 12, 2019)

It sometimes seems I’m destined to make individual trips for everything I need. You get distracted. I’m sure there are living parents who live with the memory of forgetting their child was in the back seat. Can you imagine the horrible guilt they live with? I use a trick to help me remember. I’ll set something in an unusual place. While I’ll out running errands I’m aware of this object. Sooooo, use anything you need to avoid killing your child or dog!

Can I get an Amen?


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## Gowacky (Jun 12, 2019)

Sabit’s Mom, I enjoy reading your posts. You’ve got lots of love for these dogs but you’re a loose cannon I think. I mean that very complimentary... not real sure what it means even but you are very active and I enjoy reading your stories.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

So far I have not forgotten a dog. I have driven with my purse on the back bumper of the truck, I have left my purse in a shopping cart in a parking lot (I was distracted because a friend was with me.) I have driven in to work when I meant to go to the barn. I have driven in to work on a holiday. I have hurried back from vacation (and got a speeding ticket for that hurry) to learn that Monday was a holiday... Until the fancy keys became standard, I had a minimum of three sets of keys at a time because they frequently wondered about the house. I have backed over a water dish, drug a long line from the passenger side door, backed over a training collar - all when leaving training. And then there were the frequent emails to people closer to the trainng field - "would you check to see if I left ---- ?" I'm a bit like the Peanuts character Pig Pen. Bits fall off and get left behind.


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## Gowacky (Jun 12, 2019)

Lmao


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

The only time I forgot dogs was when I was about one mile from home on my way to race training and had not loaded up the Whippets.


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