WEST HARTFORD--If you think it's hot, imagine wearing a fur coat.
Police and animal control officers are answering calls for pets left in hot cars.
They say on an 80 degree day, the inside of a car can shoot up to 100 degrees in just 10 minutes with the windows rolled up. With the windows cracked, the danger still doesn't cool off enough.
Police and animal control are using what's basically a laser gun that can gauge the interior temperature of cars with pets left inside.
"Do the test yourself, if you can't sit in your car for a few minutes in the sun with the windows up, your dog certainly can't," Assistant Animal Control Officer Helen Lee said.
Lee said if she or the other animal control officer finds a pet in a hot car, they'll try to locate the owner first. But if there is no time, and the animal is in distress, they will force their way into the car, including busting a window, to pull out the pet.
Basically: just like you shouldn't leave your kids in a hot car, you shouldn't do so with your pets either.
