Cobb County Animal Services cracking down on number of dogs being left in hot cars

On a hot summer day, Cobb County Animal Services Director Stephen Hammond is looking for the most vulnerable victims impacted by the heat.

“So what we’re looking for is animals that have been left in cars. Many times the window will be cracked which will help us”

Hammond walked through a Kroger parking lot with Newell going car-to-car.

“There’s no animals in the car.”

That is what Hammonds’ team is always hoping for during crackdowns like that. But the reality of what he says dog owners have been doing is concerning.

“They are not thinking and they don’t realize how hot their vehicle can get,” he said.

When officers do find dogs trapped in hot cars, it becomes an emergency situation. They have to gain access to the car and use a temperature gun.

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Hammonds used his car as an example to show Channel 2 Action News how the temperature gun works.

“You can see right now the front dash of this car is 152 degrees,” he showed Newell.

“It’s 107 degrees in the backseat and I just have turned the air conditioner off,” he said. “106 here. We will take all three of those temps. We will average those out and that will give us the temp in the car.”

Back at Cobb County Animal Services, Hammond checked recent cases in the county.

“I believe we’ve had two deaths so far this year.”

Hammond shares this advice to dog owners.

“They need to leave their dog at home. Leave the dog at home in air condition,” he said.

Cobb County Animal Services is in the process of replacing many of its temperature guns because they have had them for a while. They are hoping to get a group to donate to that cause.

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