With the hot summer temperatures upon us, a Central Texas Veterinarian is now warning about the dangers of leaving your pets outside for too long.
"A car in Texas can be up to 140 degrees and that is hot enough to actually cook your animal and that can happen in less than an hour," Veterinarian Robert Carpenter with Temple Veterinary Hospital of Western Hills said. "It's just like with a child... you should not leave an animal alone in a car."
And while an animal overheating in a car is a concern especially in these hot summer months, Dr. Carpenter is also warning folks about leaving their animals tied up outside.
"Animals in high humidity and in high temperatures have a hard time exchanging heat and you'll see the dogs panting or the cats panting," Dr. Carpenter said.
Dr. Carpenter said leaving you pet outside, even for just a few hours, the heat can become dangerous for your animal.
"In direct sunlight with no shade two or three hours is the most it should be," Dr. Carpenter said.
In fact, leaving your dogs tied up outside can be so dangerous some cities, like Killeen have outlawed it.
"Killeen does have a no-tie ordinance meaning you can't leave your dog tethered outside unsupervised and they always have to have access to shelter and fresh clean water at all times," Savannah Greenwell with the Killeen Police Department said.
So while officials are urging you to keep your animals inside as often as possible, they are also asking if you have to leave your pet outdoors to follow one rule.
"The rule is never leave an animal or a child unattended because all the bad things that heat can cause can happen in less than two hours," Dr. Carpenter said.
The State of Texas has also taken measures to protect animals from the heat.
According to the law, you cannot leave your animals tied up outside between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. or during a heat advisory.
The state also requires any animal that is left outside to have a dog house big enough for the animal to do a complete circle in and it must have three walls and a roof.
Cities are also allowed to have their own rules regarding tying up animals outside.
In cities like Killeen, the offense is a Class C Misdemeanor and will result in a fine.
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