Auto Safety for pets

Friends often joke that you treat your dog or cat as though it were your child. Well, when traveling with your pet in a car, that’s just the thing to do.

You don’t let your kid climb all around a moving vehicle, so why would you let that adorable pooch or kitty do so? By limiting the movement of your animal and following other tips on auto safety for pets, you will greatly increase the chances that you and your furry companion will arrive at your destination unharmed.

Never Leave Them Alone

Perhaps the most important animal-travel tip is to never leave your pet alone in a parked car. When the outside temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the interior of a parked car can reach a sizzling 102 degrees in just 10 minutes and 120 degrees within half an hour, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). And that’s even if you leave the windows cracked an inch or two. Such temperatures put your dog or cat at serious risk of death from hyperthermia.

Even if it’s a perfectly comfortable 70 degrees outside, the inside of a parked car can quickly reach 90 degrees — too hot for your furry friend. ASPCA warns that the dangers are not limited to the warmer months: “In cold weather, a car can act as a refrigerator, holding in the cold and causing an animal to freeze to death,” the organization says on its pet insurance web site.

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Don't do this: Experts say letting your dog ride this way could damage his inner ear and
even expose him to lung infections. (Photo: waferboard/flickr)