To be fair, dogs are pack animals, and some have extreme seperational issues that the owner cannot always control. It took me two years to get Wally the Border Collie to understand and chill when I would leave him at home.

You should live in the mountains of Idaho Amy! Nobody ever bothers me here.

(PS- I walked outside the other day and found two red foxes in my front yard.)

Dogs

Cats.

Bear

Yes but they shouldn't even be left alone in a car for more than ten minutes in the first place Eric, let alone long enough to become a nuisance.

Not sure what a California spring is like, but up here in the summer it gets over the +40c mark, which even with the windows down a crack is enough to kill a dog.

Poor thing might have been howling to avoid being cooked. Personally, I would have called animal control.

@wtf: Unless you let your life revolve around your dog, you will have to leave it alone from time to time. Either at home or in the car, depending on the situation. Keeping this under 10 minutes is just not realistic.

This is like kids: Amy may wish that she never had to encounter kids, especially when they are upset for whatever reason. Her sympathy is not exactly boundless. Nonetheless, kids are part of society, and occasionally they are going to impinge on her eardrums.

The same for dogs. Most dog owners are conscientious, and most dogs behave well most of the time. Which still leaves those times when, for whatever reason, a dog is going to impinge on her eardrums. As long as it's not a regular thing, it's just part of life. My heart does not bleed.

@ Random:

If you have to leave a dog in a hot car for more than ten minutes at a time, then leave it at home. Or at least leash it to the door or a post while you go inside the store or whatever, and give it water.

Otherwise it's just selfish.

"My refrigerator is decorated in sweet notes and pictures from Lilly"

Awwwwwww........

Um... I disagree with the assertion that "Most dog owners are conscientious." If that were true, there wouldn't be a company out there seeing DNA poop Identification to homeowners' associations to deal with non-scooped poop.

I lived four lovely years in "the country", outside Sebastopol CA. I was up in the hills and I could hear barking dogs a mile away. They sounded like they were next door. Weekend nights with a bright moon were the worst... people would go into town and their dogs would not stop barking until they got home. I swear, some dogs run on an independant air supply.

I just got a dog two days ago. I live in an apartment so we walk several times a day. There's a set of about four houses here on one corner where they must have had a huge problem with people not picking up after their dogs, as they have signs on their front yards telling people picking up after your dog is the law and that CCTV is in use.

Just like the asshat parents that ruin it for everyone, there are asshat dog owners too.

Unless you let your life revolve around your dog, you will have to leave it alone from time to time. Either at home or in the car, depending on the situation. Keeping this under 10 minutes is just not realistic. -- a_random_guy at April 6, 2013 1:53 PM

At home a dog or cat has the ability to move around, generally has food and water and can lay in the sun or hide in the shade.

Now what I want you to do is go sit in a car in 60F weather that is sitting in the middle of a parking lot, I'll even give you the cracked. I wonder how warm the care will be after ten minutes?

If you treat your children the same way, it's also dangerous.

If you can't afford the time to take care of your dog properly, or otherwise can't afford to pay for a sitter to do so for you, then you can't afford to have a dog period. Just my two cents.
I'm against house pets in general, I don't think it's really okay to selfishly keep living beings practically enslaved and dress it up with heartwarming phrases such as companionship and friendship. Yes, your dog loves you. Because you're a source of free food.