Is It Right to Rescue?

Recently, there was a post on a neighborhood social media website about a dog who had been left for 20 minutes in a car on a hot Oakland day. The dog was crying and a passerby didn't know what to do. So, she asked for help on social media and there were a flurry of replies. The woman called the police (who did not arrive) and the owner showed up. The dog was still alive but, given the extreme heat inside the car, likely heat damaged and dehydrated.

It is a crime to leave an animal in an unattended vehicle and there are penalties attached.

Steps to follow:

1) Call 911, animal control, police, or the fire department;

2) Break into the car; and

3) Stay with the animal until the authorities arrive.

Since the law is a little more detailed than what's written above, read about the Good Samaritan law via the following link:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB797

Also see the effect that outside (and inside vehicle) temperatures can have on your pet.

https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/pets-in-vehicles.aspx