First, check city, county, state laws concerning dogs left in cars on hot days. Last year here in CA we passed a law that good samaritans can break car windows to release an animal from a hot car, but they are required to call 9-11 first. Knowing the law is also helpful to explaining to the visitor that leaving their dog in a car on a hot day can lead to significant legal issues such as an obligation to call the police. It is best to ask a visitor like this to please take their dog home and visit again without them. You can even give them a discount or a compmementary visit to do the right thing so you don't lose a visitor who you asked to go home.

I’m wondering how other museums handle this kind of situation.

 

Today someone tried to come into our museum with a dog (not a service animal). We told her that only service animals are permitted in the museum. Apparently, she then went and put the dog in her car and left it there for over an hour. I was out of the museum at the time but was informed that this upset at least two staff members.

 

My question is, if this happens again with someone leaving their pet in a car in our parking lot, how should we handle it? I hate the thought of a poor dog being put at risk by being stuck in a car on a hot day. Our museum is small enough that it wouldn’t be too difficult to locate the owner, I just don’t know what, if anything, we could say to them.

 

Has anyone else run into this before? How did you handle it?

 

Diane

 

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