Crime & Safety
Creative Police Message on Pets in Cars
Leaving your pet in your car in the heat is not a good idea, and police are showing you why.
Most people know that leaving a pet in a car in hot weather can be dangerous. But still, police receive frequent calls from concerned residents about this problem.
So now, have created a visual aid to get the message out, and they've parked it at the North Andover Mall.
You may notice two dogs sitting in a police cruiser in that parking lot. Don't be alarmed. The dogs are plush toys. And you're welcome -- and in fact encouraged -- to go over and look. There is a thermometer in the cruiser that shows how hot the vehicle is.
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"This is to get people really thinking about this," new CSO Amy McCarthy said. "It's never a good idea to leave your pets in a car, you're better off just leaving them at home."
Leaving a pet in a hot car is a form of animal cruelty. On an 85 degree day, the inside of a car climbs to more than 100 degrees within a few minutes. And after 20 minutes, that same car will be up to 120 degrees. Even if it's a nice 70 degrees outside, the inside of your car can spike to almost 100 degrees after a few minutes.
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