# Do you leave your dog in the car?



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

When you bring your dog out on errands with you, do you ever leave them alone in your car? Say you are taking them to a pet store or a class and you need to stop for groceries... do you? And if so, are they loose? Crated? Windows up or down?

I ask because over the winter it was easy. If Saber was with me and I had to go somewhere dogs were not allowed, I just put her in the back of the car in her crate with a Nylabone and she was fine. Now it is warming up, and I would love to keep bringing her along when I have things to do, but don't want to leave her in the car because she may get too warm. So she stays home more 

Is there a good solution for this?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

We take our dogs and leave them in the car all the time, but we do check the weather before we leave to see if it's safe to do so. I don't do it with my car ever because I have an Audi A3 with the open sky system, a large expanse of glass on the roof that heats up my car very quickly, no matter what the weather is. But the SUV has tinted windows, and if we park in the shade and leave the windows partly open to let a breeze through it's often cooler in the car than it is outside. 

If I lived in a very warm area, especially with high humidity, I would not even consider it, but we're close to the SF Bay.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I don't leave my dogs in the car when the temperature is over about 60 degrees. 

I was doing a long road trip with the dogs one summer and I HAD to stop and use the bathroom. There's a security feature on the car where you can't leave it running with the doors locked, so I ran the A/C full blast for several minutes to get it nice and frosty in the car, locked the doors, and dashed in to use the bathroom. I set world records for speed-peeing, ran back out to the car, and it was already hot in there when I got back.


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## DonP (Apr 13, 2009)

I always leave the windows wide open for her. I know she'll stay in the truck and I don't want anyone to tease her.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

I never do.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

It gets hot here so fast Oksana. (BTW would love to walk with Anton again!)

I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving the windows open much. Someone could reach in and who knows what might happen? Someone posted on the forum once about being in a store and looking out the window seeing someone HUGGING their GSD through the car window!


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Here in Florida most of the year I will not leave them in the car unless they are in crates with water and I can leave the back of the truck open and all the windows down and I'm parked in a shady spot. In the hot part of summer we also use fans and ice. 

And I don't love doing that at a place like a Grocery Store Parking Lot because of all the people around that could mess with the dogs. So...no. Not really. 

Of course I am also lucky that all my dogs are Florida born and raised. They don't tend to keep much coat and are all reasonably able to deal with the heat.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

We take Mac with us everywhere we go. And when running errands, we crack the windows and leave him in the car.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

I only do it in the winter, and even then I won't do it if the temp. is below 20 degrees.
Sheilah


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## crisp (Jun 23, 2010)

I do it in the summer also. Even when temp is at 80/90 degrees. But I have a remote start, so I lock the car, crank the a/c and start the car from outside. Errands have to be under 20 min or the car shuts off.


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## CaliBoy (Jun 22, 2010)

I remember the story of the policeman who left the K-9 in the patrol car with the AC running, and one day the AC malfunctioned and the heat killed the dog very quickly.

If I take my dog with me, it has to be under 80, all the windows have to be rolled down half way, and I cannot be away from the car for more than 15 minutes. If the weather is warmer, I might leave him for two or three minutes when I rush into a convenience store, but never if I need more time for shopping. I wouldn't take him in the car, ever, except that he just loves rides and hates it when I leave him at home.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

I never leave Sasha in the car for more than a minute or two, but that has more to do with her fear that I'm leaving her than anything else. I would think that as long as the weather isn't too hot that it shouldn't be a problem. However, I do think you risk having some crazy person calling you in for animal cruelty (even in decent conditions as these people seem to generally use no common sense), so I guess you'd have to factor that in too.


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## GSD_Xander (Nov 27, 2010)

I did it in January when we were travelling - it was definitely cold enough out that it wouldn't get hot in the car and he was crated. 

If it was cool enough and there was a shady spot and he was in a crate I would think about leaving him in the car for a little while but not long. 

If I didn't have a crate I probably wouldn't leave him in the car at all...Xander's still young enough I wouldn't trust him around my car interior. 

So - in general - No I don't leave him in a car but I would if it was safe enough (weather, shade, crate, etc).


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

We take our two everywhere. If it is not a dog friendly store they stay in the car windows enough to stick noses out all 4 windows. If its a dog friendly store they come in with me at a heel and and anyone asks to pet them I let them if they ask. My two learned to go everywhere since the day we got them.


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## Heagler870 (Jun 27, 2009)

I travel home often in the summer and I always have to stop for one restroom break. With Marshall I would always leave him in the car with the car on because I had a spare key. Would leave the air on and stuff. I wasn't worried about anyone breaking into my car because he would bark like mad at anyone who approached the car. With Riley he doesn't bark at all when someone approaches so I just turn the car off and crack all the windows and try to be as fast as possible. I am more worried about someone breaking in to steal him than him over heating because I always park under some shade. I don't usually take him with me to run errands unless I am taking him somewhere. The errands I run as well dont normally require me getting out of the vehicle. I never take him when I go grocery shopping, etc.


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## The Packman (Jan 31, 2011)

No more than 15 minutes- NEVER EVER when it's hot or even warm out for that matter !


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

only in the winter. Its too hot out this way in the summer for ANYTHING to stay in the cars even with the windows down. They generally only get left in the car if we have to run a quick errands or we're going to pick up something to eat. beyond that they stay home unless we're going some place dog friendly.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I leave mine in the car for hours. I usually have two with me when I go to classes and one stays in the car for 45 minutes, then the other for another 45 minutes to an hour. They are crated, and the back is up and the windows partially down. I do not give my dogs water in the car. If we go to a show, I have a bowl for them and give them spring water. 

Usually classes do not start until 6-6:30. After I get out of the second class, It is usually 8:30, then we go to an eatery, and then it is usually 9:30. Then I drive back to Mom's ten pm. Then I sit on the computer til about midnight. Then I take them home. 

If it is above 70 I get very conscious of them. Windows down, back open. If it is over eighty we are generally working outside and I might move the crate or car under a tree and keep all open. If it is over 90 -- no way am I out there so, my dogs are ok. 

Normally, in the summer I work my dogs only after the sun goes down. Then they are fine in the car -- no greenhouse effect. 

If I am taking the mangies to be groomed, I will zip off and leave the windows down, and come right back out of the other. I do not leave them in the car when the sun is shining and it is warm. I live in NE Ohio, so that isn't all that often.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Mine love to go in the car and would sit in one for hours

Of course dependent on the heat as to whether I leave them in the car or not..To hot, nope.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

Depends on when and where. Where I live it is often foggy in the morning and then sun comes out 12-1pm. So early morning yes, if I'm doing quick shopping (30 minutes or less) or the bank. I have a 4 door sedan, I leave the windows open about 1/3. Can't open them all the way, sometimes people have no clue about how protective a dog can be about their car, and don't want anyone sticking their hands in the window to pet her (someone tried while I was getting gas one time). I would never leave her in the car in a place like downtown Santa Cruz, you never know what those people are on, too unpredictable.


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## RogueRed26 (Jul 15, 2010)

I never leave Texas alone. She is like my child, I would never leave a child unsupervised in a vehicle; there is the hot weather and robbers, you never know.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

NewbieShepherdGirl said:


> However, I do think you risk having some crazy person calling you in for animal cruelty (even in decent conditions as these people seem to generally use no common sense), so I guess you'd have to factor that in too.


Someone complained about me once. I had parked in the shade during the evening, had the windows down, the windows that didn't go down (station wagon) were covered with those foil windshield blocks, and the dogs had a big bucket of water on the floor. I ran in a store and after a few minutes heard a page about dogs being unattended outside. So I ran to my car, and the people started yelling at me about how cruel I was. I started yelling back, and they started saying stuff like "they should AT LEAST have water..." And I was like, oh, you mean like this GIANT BUCKET RIGHT HERE?! Eventually they backtracked enough and started apologizing for bothering me. And a bunch of people came up and told me they were nuts and I wasn't doing anything wrong.


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

I leave my dogs in the car all the time, dependent on temperature/sun/weather in general. They like to go, I like the company and usually we will go somewhere new where they can run/play or train. All the time. If at all possible to bring them, they come with me. I have crates in my truck and they always have water in their crates. I also have a giant tupperware tub with a pretty thorough first aid kit, a bag for water toys and various balls, chuckit, frisbees, tugs and all my SchH stuff. Sometimes mid-errand running I feel the need to stop and train or play. It's a point of pride for me that my dogs can almost always focus on what I am asking them to do no matter the place - b/c I start hauling them around random places as wee pups.


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## JeffM (Dec 19, 2005)

As long as it's not too hot, they always travel with us 95% of the time. We have a RAV so they stay at the back. The odd time we'll find Riggs sitting in the back seat for whatever reason but they never get into anything


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

Well I don't take Killian with me unless it's just to stores he CAN go to. If I have to run anywhere else, I'll drop him back off at home, now thats not to say I haven't ever left him in the car to run in somewhere, I did when we drove down to AL and I had to take Ella to the bathroom, or when we stopped for gas and had to go in to pay for it. I just leave the windows down about a quarter of the way, enough for his head to get out but no more. ALL four windows, but I locked the window lock, I'm paranoid, LOL, and made the runs INSIDE, short as possible. I'm usually within eyesight of the car and can see people stopping to pet him.... HAHA!!


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## CassandGunnar (Jan 3, 2011)

We'll take them with us on quick errands. In and out of the post office or to run in and pay for gas, things like that.
We leave the windows cracked enough for them to get some air, but not enough for them to get out.

When Gunnar was still about 7 months old, Audrey ran in to pick up a pizza she had ordered and ran into a friend and was chatting for a few minutes (no longer than 5 minutes). Gunnar chewed almost all the way through one of the seatbelts in the rear of her car.
She was PO'd, but I thought it was funny.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Bear and Dolly are in there now.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I take them all the time, but summer summer if it's really hot and I don't think I'll find shade may mean they stay home.

Because I use dog seatbelts and can keep my dogs in the back seat, frequently I can park to have the car roof be shade, put up a sunshade in the windshield and open all the windows! Scary 'looking' GSD's are staring out but they have tons of air moving thru the car.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I have a truck with a white camper cover, full length windoors and locking aluminum crate along with 2 fans powered by a 12 v marine battery

So, yes - if my dog goes with me I can leave him in the back [provided there are people around making sure no num-nut closes the windoors or messes with him or the fans] 

I know from experience that set up can sit on the sun on a hot summer day and be no hotter than outside (dual thermometer measurement) 

I don't usually take him to the store etc. He gets out enough with me for training and searches to be happy. He gets in the truck and that is all that is on his mind.


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## sddeadeye (Apr 5, 2011)

When it was too hot or cold, my dog would stay home. Otherwise he was almost always with me. Usually he was left in the car for no more than 15 minutes at a time as I hate shopping so am never gone too long.


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## Davey Benson (Nov 10, 2010)

Some of my dogs get to ride along occassionally, when I'm not going to be in any store for very long, I hate for them to be in the vehicle more than an hour or two. And then the weather has be just right.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

I only leave them if I wont be long (less than 20mins) and the weather is appropriate. Atleast one window is cracked, if it isnt raining, and they are free to 'roam' the car.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

If the weather is nice, not too cold nor too hot, then I will let them wait in the car while I grocery shop, or run short errands.


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## JustMeLeslie (Sep 15, 2010)

I take the dogs with me on errands as long as there is someone with me who can stay out in the vehicle with them or I will stay out with them and the other person can go in and run the errands.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Bear and Dolly are still in their crates in the car -- I must be a terrible owner, LOL.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Going out for another training session now -- classes start on may 12, and Bear has lost EVERYTHING I taught her. She is signed up for advanced so I brought them out to do some obedience today.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

if i'm out running errands i don't take the dog
with me. i'll take the dog with me when i'm going
places that allows the dog inside. i've had the dog with me
when i've stopped to get a paper or a bottle of water for
him. my dog is taught to automatically lay down when i exit the car.
he rides in the hatch area or the back seat. in the winter time the windows are up. during the warmer weather i crack the drivers side
front window and the passengers side front window. a couple of times
i've stopped for ice cream and i've opened up the hatch.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

:thumbup:



JustMeLeslie said:


> I take the dogs with me on errands as long as there is someone with me who can stay out in the vehicle with them or I will stay out with them and the other person can go in and run the errands.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

when you say free to roam the car do you
mean they go from the back seat to the front.
is there anything their collars can get caught on???



vicky2200 said:


> I only leave them if I wont be long (less than 20mins) and the weather is appropriate. Atleast one window is cracked, if it isnt raining, and they are free to 'roam' the car.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> when you say free to roam the car do you
> mean they go from the back seat to the front.
> is there anything their collars can get caught on???


My dog has free roam of the car, and in my CAR, there isn't anything that he can get his collar stuck on and injure him. What is the paranoia about the car and collars? Killian wears his collar inside, outside, in the car, to sleep in his kennel, as all my dogs, their collars have NEVER been an issue ever. I would never let him stay in my car without his collar, just encase something were to happen and he were to get out. IE: Somebody broke into my car.....


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

Dog goes everywhere--weather permitting. I'm careful about parking and if I'm going to be a while--like a nice dinner--I make sure that they are tired out when I leave them. Honestly, because we are such a busy, loud household I think that my dogs think of the car as a pleasant quiet nap time. They have free roam of the car and the pit-bull always ends up in the driver's seat.
I should clarify that only one dog goes with us at a time.


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## Jake71 (Feb 2, 2011)

I take Daisy everywhere that I think I can get away with taking her. I don't take her to department stores or malls, but I'll take her to home depot and lowes, to a restaraunt but it has to have an outside sitting area and be FAST food.

However I never leave her in the car.

I took her to the shelter to pickup a friend and they said she couldn't come in and that I could leave her in the car. The shelter said I should do that.

There was no way I'm leaving my girl in the car alone, no more than I'd leave my daughter sitting in the car alone regardless of how hot/cold it was.

I just can't do it.

She goes with me or we dont go at all.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

the paranoia/concern with a collar on a dog in the car (unattended)
is the collar geting caught on something as i said in the
original post. 



doggiedad said:


> when you say free to roam the car do you
> mean they go from the back seat to the front.
> is there anything their collars can get caught on???





WarrantsWifey said:


> My dog has free roam of the car, and in my CAR, there isn't anything that he can get his collar stuck on and injure him. What is the paranoia about the car and collars? Killian wears his collar inside, outside, in the car, to sleep in his kennel, as all my dogs, their collars have NEVER been an issue ever. I would never let him stay in my car without his collar, just encase something were to happen and he were to get out. IE: Somebody broke into my car.....


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

Alice is reactive in the car...it means lots of fun and excitement and she still is barky like a drunken trumpeter. *sheesh* My fault.
The only places I used to take her were the park, and dog daycare. So now we do errands. She doesn't get out, she stays in the car and usually never more for ten minutes or so. Never when it's above 70 degrees. Even 70 degrees I'd go early. 

This has helped considerably in the (think Family Guy Brian in the car episode)
"HEY! WE'RE GONNA GO! HEY!! HEY!! THERE'S AN SUV!!! HEY!! THERE'S A GUY ON A BIKE!!! and so on.

She dosn't do this with dad in the truck. And, I'm still getting good results, she now will lay down in the back seat and just put her head between the seats and ride. It still takes about ten minutes into the ride.

When I have both dogs, I or my other half will wait because the little weasel sets off the big girl. One time we came out of the store and the dogs were going nuts, and two people were looking in the windows, "cause they're so cute"
What part of competition and territorial aggression is cute? 
I was concerned that they would start striking each other so when we have both girls, one of us stays.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> the paranoia/concern with a collar on a dog in the car (unattended)
> is the collar geting caught on something as i said in the
> original post.


Like what?? If your car is clean, what in the heck can it get caught on?? The ONLY thing I could even THINK it would be able to get stuck on would MAYBE be a seat belt and he would have to do some funny stuff to get his collar tangled in something that is pulled taught against the seat......


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> when you say free to roam the car do you
> mean they go from the back seat to the front.
> is there anything their collars can get caught on???


Yes they can go from front to back if they choose ( one of them is always in the front seat when I return) But no, there really isn't anything that their collars can get caught on. One vehicle is a full sized van, the other a mountaineer. There collars are left on 24/7 (except for dakota because his neck gets irritated from it) and we have never had any problems with them getting caught on anything in the car or home, or in each others mouths. We keep them tight enough so they arent a hazard but loose enough to be comfortable. If it ever became a problem I would remove the collar when not in use.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

The collar debate is a personal choice, you have to weigh the risks and decide whats right for you. My dogs wear collars with tags at all times because I consider the risk of getting loose/lost to be likelier than that of a possible collar accident.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

I'm just trying to think in a car with a backseat, a front seat and a passenger seat and it being a clean and EMPTY car, what the HECKS can the dog get his collar stuck too??? *Sigh*


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Dogs have gotten their collars caught on their own lower jaws, so you don't necessarily need anything beyond the dog and the collar to get hurt. But as I said, I consider that to be much less likely than dogs getting loose.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

:gsdhead: The Hooligans only get to go in the van if the weather's cool and if I'm going to dash in and dash out of the store.

Like doggiedad, I'm also paranoid about leaving collars on unattended dogs. I've known several people whose dogs have been killed when theoretically there was nothing that their collars could get caught on ... freak accidents happen.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

selzer said:


> Bear and Dolly are still in their crates in the car -- I must be a terrible owner, LOL.


LOL! I have left Jake in the car for a few hours this winter.....when I get back to the SUV he is sound asleep. I won't leave him in the car tho this summer. It gets way to hot and humid here. But if the weather is cool I have no problem with it.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Oh the few times I have left them IN the car or truck and have had to run the AC with the engine running (like if we go out to eat and it is REALLY hot outside and the parking lot is hotter than anything....

I have left car and AC running (you need to have a spare key to do this with newer cars as the remote fob will NOT work if the key is in the ignition) -- I have checked them every 10 minutes or so.


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## SummerwoodSoaps (Feb 3, 2011)

jocoyn said:


> Oh the few times I have left them IN the car or truck and have had to run the AC with the engine running (like if we go out to eat and it is REALLY hot outside and the parking lot is hotter than anything....
> 
> I have left car and AC running (you need to have a spare key to do this with newer cars as the remote fob will NOT work if the key is in the ignition) -- I have checked them every 10 minutes or so.


That is very true. Found this out the hard way!! Our 2001 F-150 you can pull the keys right the ignition and it will stay running. Not sure on my Jetta, but I know my mil genesis has the push start, no real key and it will not let her lock the car while running from the outside.


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## CLARKE-DUNCAN (Apr 8, 2011)

We never take Nero in the car unless its to go to the local lake or the vets! But I Probably wouldn't leave a dog in the car! What if your dog was really friendly with strangers and someone stole your car?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

SummerwoodSoaps said:


> That is very true. Found this out the hard way!! Our 2001 F-150 you can pull the keys right the ignition and it will stay running. Not sure on my Jetta, but I know my mil genesis has the push start, no real key and it will not let her lock the car while running from the outside.


I can lock my car from the outside with the KEY while it is running. 

YOu definitely want to know all this before you leave a dog in a running car. Really the only time I have done this is when we are training on a hotter than hades day and want to eat lunch together on the way home. If it is 103 out and my dog has been working and there is no shade, I want to leave him with the AC running. If it is 90 out, he will be under the camper shell with the fans going.

About the only work I would do on that hot a day is water training ....... off a boat......because people tend to drown in the summer. Other cadaver searches can wait.


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## Chowgal (Dec 21, 2009)

I never leave my dogs unattended in the car. They don't go anywhere with me unless it's a pet friendly place we're going, someone can sit in the car with them, or we don't have to leave the car.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

It's not that I have the "It can't happen to me" attitude, but for the most part; most car burglars (and we have a lot with the big upscale shopping centers a mile away) just see a GSD and look for easier pickins' Most of the time they are teenagers who just don't want to find out if the dog in the car is friendly or not.


I also have a very nerdy little soccer mom wagon. Not cool at all compared to the mercedes, audis, and other more upscale cars.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Yeah I definitely don't have that attitude because our car was broken into twice while sitting outside our house (a 'smash n grab') and my parents had a car stolen when I was a kid. The police eventually found it, in pieces. 
I do still sometimes leave my dog in the car though for short periods in cold weather. I think most thieves are looking for an easy target, not a car where they will have to fight off a big barking GSD to get in.

However I do sometimes leave my dog in the car (generally in the winter/cold days) if 
I know some people who have a remote starter so they can turn the car on with their key fob without a key in the ignition, and have the a/c running. The car can't be driven away like that, the alarm is still on and to then drive the car you have to turn the alarm off and put the key in the ignition.


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## JustMeLeslie (Sep 15, 2010)

Chowgal said:


> I never leave my dogs unattended in the car. They don't go anywhere with me unless it's a pet friendly place we're going, someone can sit in the car with them, or we don't have to leave the car.


 
Same with me too.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> When you bring your dog out on errands with you, do you ever leave them alone in your car? Say you are taking them to a pet store or a class and you need to stop for groceries... do you?


I only take my dog "on errands" with me if I am going only to places where I can bring her inside. I don't leave her in the car if I need to go grocery shopping or do anything that would take more than five minutes. I'd leave her in the car if I needed to stop to use the bathroom or if I were stopping in at a gas station to get a soda, for example, but not to go grocery shopping or to go into the mall and such.

I do take her in the car and I do leave her in the car when we go to dog events - but that's with the car parked, back open (I drive a Jeep with a hard top) and in her kennel. She's safe in there and with both the gate open and the windows (front and rear) open, she gets air circulation as well. I had a kennel fan for the longest time but it broke and I haven't gotten a new one yet.


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## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

I do leave them if it is a quick, run in, run out thing, not more than 5 minutes. As far as like dock diving practice, I just leave the hatch open on the minivan and leave them in their crates, I can see the car and definetely hear them! lol lol


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

the stick shift, the window locks, turn signals, wiper arm,
clothing hook, stuff sticking out from the dash. these are my concerns.
i have a real "what the hecks" for you. i don't leave my dogs collar
on if he's on a wooden deck. a wooden deck has that spacing between
the flooring (some do). a friend of mines dog was laying on
a wooden deck and his tags slipped between the flooring.
my friend and some other people had to cut the dog loose.



WarrantsWifey said:


> I'm just trying to think in a car with a backseat, a front seat and a passenger seat and it being a clean and EMPTY car, what the HECKS can the dog get his collar stuck too??? *Sigh*


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## summerronk (Apr 13, 2011)

This is a great thread. I was about to start my own thread about this same question, but then saw this. 

So, I leave my dog in the back of my SUV all the time (in WINTER and COOL WEATHER). I have a dog gate that is built into my car, so the dog only has the back area of the SUV to move around in. Her bed is there. If I leave her in the car for more than 2-5 minutes, I usually take her entire collar off. The chances of her getting caught on anything are so small (the only thing I guess would be the actual dog grated gate), but I feel so much better if I know she has no collar on at all. 

She loves being in the car. She looks around while seated for awhile, and then usually passes out. 

However, she is one year old now, and I've never left her in the car for like two hours. I've probably left her for 30 minutes before with no problem.

My question is......

Has anyone here, in the winter (so we are talking like 15-35 degrees out), left their dog in the car for like three hours? In a way, I don't really see why it is different from being in her crate at home. The reason I am considering this is that I have to do some traveling, and I feel like she'd rather be in the car than in an unfamiliar hotel room when I am at dinner with people.

I'd like to see if people on here do it regularly and have never had a problem. 

(If people think that 15 degrees is cold for most GSD, I do not agree. Growing up, our GSDs were outside in the freezing temperatures and they LOVED IT. The biggest danger is that their PAWS get frostbite from being on the cold ground. But if your dog is in the car, they are not going to get frostbite on their feet.)


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

I NEVER leave Scarlett in the car for any amount of time. I know what she does to our leather shoes/belts/purses/wallets...I don't even want to think about what she would do to the leather seats in my car!

Also, it's generally too warm to leave her in a car most of the year. If I take her with me, it's only to places she is welcome...


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

summerronk said:


> This is a great thread. I was about to start my own thread about this same question, but then saw this.
> 
> So, I leave my dog in the back of my SUV all the time (in WINTER and COOL WEATHER). I have a dog gate that is built into my car, so the dog only has the back area of the SUV to move around in. Her bed is there. If I leave her in the car for more than 2-5 minutes, I usually take her entire collar off. The chances of her getting caught on anything are so small (the only thing I guess would be the actual dog grated gate), but I feel so much better if I know she has no collar on at all.
> 
> ...


I used to leave them in the car in cold weather even for hours. In the airline crates, they will stay pretty warm, they will hold their body heat somewhat, especially if there is a towel or blanket that they are lying on. 

But one day after an extended stay in the car, I let Babs out to potty and she hurt herself. I have to wonder if I left her in there too long in the cold and it made her stiff or made her more likely to become injured. I decided to be a lot more careful about leaving them in temperatures lower than 32. Remember, that when they can move around, they can warm themselves up -- I mean run around. If they have straw in a dog house, straw insulates and the dog house should be designed to hold the dog's body heat. Being in an open car or even crated, that is too large to effectively use their body heat. 

I think that if you left a dog in a vehicle around here over night in the winter they can probably freeze to death.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

selzer said:


> I think that if you left a dog in a vehicle around here over night in the winter they can probably freeze to death.


Don't know how cold it is where you are, but sled dogs in the Arctic sleep outside, in the snow, even during a blizzard. If you've seen the coat on many of the racing Huskies, it is about like a GSD's coat. I doubt that a GSD would die if left in a secure car, in a crate with bedding, safe from the wind and snow. 

Now I wouldn't leave a hairless Chinese Crested in a car when it's that cold out, but a healthy GSD should be able to handle it.

I leave my dog in the car all the time, when it's safe to do so--as long as it's not too hot and the car is in a secure area (or I am in it) I don't see a problem with it.


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## Klamari (Aug 6, 2010)

Rayne is by herself, crated in the car all time on training days (both fields we train at are short distances from the cars). On Saturdays we might be out there for 4-5 hours. Of course, windows are all down and the hatch is open. She has a crate fan too but it doesn't do much. She used to the heat by now, if we canceled training for days over 90 degrees we wouldn't train all summer. When it's pushing 100 we have to take extra precautions, but we still train. 

If I have to run into the store and I'm going to be only 5 minutes or so I park in the the shade, blast the AC for a couple minutes, run in and run out. She's fine. 



summerronk said:


> Has anyone here, in the winter (so we are talking like 15-35 degrees out), left their dog in the car for like three hours?


It was 32 degrees at training Wednesday night and Rayne sat in the car most of the evening. We start at 7p, training doesn't end until around 9 so she sat in her crate most of that time. She seemed fine to me  I was the one who had 4 layers on and was still miserable!


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## Magnolia (Jul 18, 2011)

No I don't. I don't want to take any chances. I don't want to be sued because some idiot reached into my car and I don't want one of my babies to get out. Since most places I go are close to my home, I would just take my dogs home first.


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## Kittilicious (Sep 25, 2011)

I do, but it's always for a short amount of time. 15 minutes tops. For some reason my dogs never travel to the front seat. (Knuckles hasn't yet, anyway. I suppose he's learning from Saki) Even if I put them in the front seat, they go to the back. I've never come out to find them in the front. I always find them sitting/laying down in the backseat staring out the window at the door I went into. But, with that being said, I have this paranoia about leaving them in a running vehicle. Even though they have never gone into the front seat, it wouldn't take much for them to use their paw to put the car into gear.


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## GSKnight (Oct 18, 2011)

I left Viktor in the car yesterday while I met with engineers and disaster restoration people. He sat calmly and watched us. It was all good.


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## Davey Benson (Nov 10, 2010)

I enjoy taking my girl in with me to town. I leave the vehicle out in the parking lot, and she sits in the drivers seat, looking out the window.... ears erect.... for people who don't know german shepherds or who are afraid of dogs.... there's nothing like a visual deterent.


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## ShadowBandit (Oct 26, 2011)

I sometimes leave the dogs in the car after we go to the dog park, The park is about 25 minutes from home and in a more commercial area. I live on an island which only has a grocery store so if I need something from Target, I'll run in if its a cool day. I still worry the whole time and rush through the store like a crazy person, lol.


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## summerronk (Apr 13, 2011)

Davey Benson said:


> I enjoy taking my girl in with me to town. I leave the vehicle out in the parking lot, and she sits in the drivers seat, looking out the window.... ears erect.... for people who don't know german shepherds or who are afraid of dogs.... there's nothing like a visual deterent.


The funny thing is, I guess my biggest worry is that like kids will come along and try to torment her or something through the window! ha ha. Not that this has ever happened, but it has crossed my mind. 

The nice thing is that when she sits in my car, and people walk right next to the car, she just stares at them -- completely at attention. But she does not bark (as far as I know!). I am sure though that if someone focused on her or tried to torment her she probably would bark. 

Luckily, because we always had her in the car since she was a baby, she is comfortable with people walking near the car because she knows that this is normal. I will say, though, that one time when I had the back door of the SUV open (the trunk area), where she sits and waits for me to pick her up and place her on the ground (she's only 9 months, so I do not let her jump out of the car), someone once came toward me out of nowhere and she went absolutely berserk. So she definitely recognizes the car as her "territory."


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## mtrai (Nov 28, 2011)

I pretty much take Hitch with me every where. If it is warm enough we have the top down. I can leave him for hours in the car with the top down. He does not try to get out at all. 

Kanji the Shiba will do the same thing. Stay in my car with the top down and not try to get out.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I take Abby on nearly all of my errands and she is used to staying in the car. Always leave a window partially open even in the coldest weather. Obviously, the amount I leave it open depends on the temperature outside. She just sits or lays there staring in the direction I went.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Freestep said:


> Don't know how cold it is where you are, but sled dogs in the Arctic sleep outside, in the snow, even during a blizzard. If you've seen the coat on many of the racing Huskies, it is about like a GSD's coat. I doubt that a GSD would die if left in a secure car, in a crate with bedding, safe from the wind and snow.
> 
> Now I wouldn't leave a hairless Chinese Crested in a car when it's that cold out, but a healthy GSD should be able to handle it.
> 
> I leave my dog in the car all the time, when it's safe to do so--as long as it's not too hot and the car is in a secure area (or I am in it) I don't see a problem with it.


It gets down to about 10 below zero here on the Fahrenheit scale. Sled dogs are NEVER inside. Their coat grows to manage their environment for them. Also their bodies, they build up a layer of fat under that coat to further insulate them. A dog that is usually in 65-70 degree weather will not have the protection. A dog left to its own devices in the arctic weather, will dig down into the snow and make for themselves a cave. The snow will fall and completely cover it. Snow is a great insulator. The dogs will be fine (unless they are chained). 

There is no way to do this in a car. The dog's body heat cannot keep him warm. If you had an appropriately sized dog house inside the car, I think the dog would be fine all night, but not just in a crate with bedding -- too much ventilation, impossible for the dog to keep himself warm.


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## WendyDsMom (Nov 18, 2011)

For less than 5 minutes in the evening; yes I leave her in the car. If it's more - someone stays with her and the climate control is on.


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## DFrost (Oct 29, 2006)

Our dogs spend an 8 or 10 hour shift in the vehicle. Of course the vehicles are designed for carrying a dog. Screens on the windows, temperature monitor, and some even have automatic door openers.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

Only for very short times do I leave mine in the car. Raina is usually crated and I can leave the car running with the AC on to run into the post office for a minute. Pyrate is very calm and will just lay on his mat. Otherwise, my dogs come inside with me or stay at home. It can get way too hot in a car here way too fast to consider leaving them in there for long. I would worry about the car engine dying or something.


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Never my little one. I'm always scared someone would break a window and take her.

But I've always left my bulldogs and now Jaeger in the car if it's a few minutes in and out of somewhere, and never during the warmer days. If it's too warm for me to comfortably sit in the car with the windows up for a while, it's too warm for him to sit in it with them cracked.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

During the summer only short trips usually to the beach with the a/c on. When the temps get cooler I take them on more rides even just to go to the store. The 2 girls go nuts to go for a ride and don't care what the destination is. Kiya would stay in the truck all day if she could, Lakota is following her lead.
My male often chooses to stay home. I ask "do you want to go in the truck?" Most times he will go hide. The rare occassion he will follow the girls.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

Under certain weather conditions I will. Usually during the Spring and Fall is when i do most of the running around and take the dogs with me.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

As long as the weather is cool enough I do, not usually more than 15 min or so because it doesn't take me long to run errands, and I just crack all four windows.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I do not rely on my vehicle being running to keep my dog safe when in the vehicle. My A/C occasionally goes in and out. Also right now I've got an exhaust leak up front so I don't start my car and let it idle with dogs or anyone inside it until I get that fixed. If I cannot control the temp based on shade and ventilation, then dogs just don't come.

I don't usually bring dogs along to places they can't get out, like running errands. The only time I've done that was when my DH had someone over and they were really rowdy watching sports but then annoyed that the dogs were getting all hyper too, so I got them good and tired and let them sleep in the van while I was shopping, but it was perfect temp with the windows just cracked (about 40 degrees, fully clouded).

I do have dogs in my van a LOT, that is what it is for, but that is because we are going to/from various training or dog activities several times a week.

All dogs are always crated and all crates have bedding and a water pail. Some crates sometimes have covers if it is cold or they need shade. The crates have small locks so if it's spring or fall and I've got windows open, there's still no way to open a crate.

I take my dogs to work with me often during early spring, fall, and early winter when the temps are appropriate. I park in a very small, shaded, private, security patrolled lot and my job is in a nicer neighborhood than my house, so really my dogs are safer in the van than at home. On breaks I walk dogs, let them swim in the pond, track, or do obedience training. I work at a small private college and most of the other staff and all the campus security officers know my dogs. They do not bark when people are near the van, only if you opened the door and started messing around.

I live in MI and while we have long, snowy winters it doesn't really get *that* cold compared to some places (usually between 0-32). I've had 9-12 week old puppies out in the crates in the van while I'm at work and they are not too cold. I'm much more concerned with sunlight, heat, and humidity.


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## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

I leave Buddy in the car if it's not over 65-70 degrees, with the windows down about 3 inches. Otherwise, not weather any warmer than that because the car will get too hot. If it's sunny, I park in a shady spot. I don't crate him because he just sits there. No way I'd leave my new girl in the car right now; she'd probably eat the seats.


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