You, madam, fail as a human being.

[AFpheonix]

Sometimes doggies sneak into the car and you don't know they're in there until it's too late. When I was younger we had a poodle mix of some kind. She was a sweet little dog, and she was able to jump into a car through a partially opened window. Well, she'd use her powers for evil and get in the car without mom noticing when she'd go to work, and would sneak out of the car when mom would exit, and have fun running around the hospital parkinglot during mom's shift occasionally.

Mom now has a toy fox terrier who also managed to sneak into the car one time when Mom was taking Dad to a doctor's appointment and wasn't discovered until it was too late to turn around and take her home, so they left her in the car during the appointment.
Naughty Lilli got scared, pooped all over the seat and then proceeded to "fingerpaint" allllll over everything
She was just a puppy at the time, and she's better behaved now, at least. Still pretty funny, though.

[DenyRage]

"Breeder" leaves a daushound (sp?) in his truck

When I worked at a gas station in New Hampshire, I went outside to get something from the shed. I saw a truck parked behind the building. Odd. So I walked over, and in the truck was a daushound trying to the shifter by its leash. The doors were locked, and the owners were no where to be found. It was winter, and about 20 degrees outside, and colder in the truck. I called the police, and they came and popped open the lock, and told me to take the dog into the gas station (it was one of those little booth ones). I waited for the truck owner to come back. Three hours later, he comes strolling up, wondering where his dog is. I told him I had him; that the police told me to take him inside. He said "I wasn't gone that long. My truck just broke down a half hour ago" Ok. That's the longest half hour I've ever seen. But the police said I had to give the dog back. The guy claimed to be a breeder, also. That dog looked so scared. It wouldn't eat (we kept dog biscuits in the gas station) and wouldn't stop shaking. Some people.

[skeptic53]

despite the media attention it gets whenever this happens, people still keep "forgetting" their babies in hot cars. This is one of those phenomena, like peanut allergies, that never seemed to happen when I was growing up.

Years ago most cars didn't have air conditioning and people would roll the windows down when they parked in hot weather. People also didn't multi-task quite as much, not as much distraction. Last but not least, the media was much more local back then. If you lived in Oregon you wouldn't hear of a child or animal left in a car in Oklahoma, nowadays there is a good chance you might.

One of the most gut-wrenching photos I've ever seen was a couple of years ago. It showed a father who had forgotten his baby in the car and the baby died. In the photo he was face down on grass, with one arm stretched out above his head, grasping an empty baby seat. One could easily imagine his agony.

[angelkirie]

In most states it IS legal to break a window to save a dog or baby.

Of course I would advocate researching if your state is one of those or not before attempting it, but I'm just glad to know that most state legislations recognize the do-gooder's point of view and will not punish them for choosing not to watch an innocent being die from another's stupidity.

[bigjimaz]

Average elapsed time and temperature rise

10 minutes ~ 19 deg F

20 minutes ~ 29 deg F

30 minutes ~ 34 deg F

60 minutes ~ 43 deg F

1 to 2 hours ~ 45-50 deg F

“Cracking” the windows had little effect.

Even if it is 50° outside, the temperature in your car can rise to 110° inside in 1 - 2 hours. If the outside temperature is 80, the inside can reach 130° in an hour. 110° and sunny outside can mean 160 - 170° inside within 50 - 60 minutes.

In the last 5 years, there have been 182 children die of hyperthermia in cars in the US. 109 died because their caregivers "forgot" the kids were in the car.

The numbers for animals is approximately 10 times that.

I spent 17 years as an EMT and Paramedic and have tons of sucky stories I could tell, a couple on this subject. I do not post those because, on a very basic level, they are gruesome and there is little that can be done to 'clean them up' if you know what I mean.

Death isn't funny. Especially if it is preventable

[tollbaby]

the frightening part is, sometimes people feel they can do this with their CHILDREN as well.

Back when I was pregnant with my oldest (about 9 years ago), a woman was arrested here because she had left her TODDLER in the car at a mall parking lot for nearly 2 hours, and the child almost died. Her excuse? She didn't feel like pushing a stroller.