Hot car demonstration helps urge lawmakers to protect pets in the summer heat

The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) and other leading animal protection organizations and citizen advocates are calling on the Massachusetts state legislature to pass S. 2369—An Act to Prevent Animal Suffering and Death—which would enable faster rescue of pets trapped in hot cars, just as summertime temperatures are heating up.

To drive awareness for the plight of pets left in hot cars, which—according to the American Veterinary Medical Association—claims the lives of hundreds of animal lives every year—the MSPCA-Angell, ARL, and HSUS will underscore the threats pets face when trapped in hot cars, all while a thermometer tracks the steadily rising temperature inside a “hot car” demonstration vehicle.

Stop by the Massachusetts State House tomorrow, July 14, at 12:00 noon to see a live hot car demonstration to see how quickly temperatures rise inside a vehicle on a sunny day.

Stop by to see the live demonstration!
Thursday, July 14, 2016
12:00 p.m
“The well” at the Massachusetts State House

ARL’s Director of Advocacy, Nadine Pellegrini, will be speaking in support of S. 2369, as well as the bill’s sponsors, Senator Mark Montigny and Representative Lori Ehrlich, and officials from MSPCA-Angell and HSUS.

Local law enforcement, fire fighters, and animal control officers who respond to calls about animals in hot cars will also be in attendance.

S. 2369 would give first responders including police officers, fire fighters and animal control officers explicit authority to rescue an animal from inside a car when conditions, such as extreme heat or cold, are reasonably expected to threaten the health of the animal. The bill would also allow an individual to enter a car if the animal is in imminent danger, and no other options exist.

Learn more about S. 2369 and related animal protection legislation currently under consideration in Massachusetts.

More information on summer pet safety.