(Download my free Hot Cars Kill Poster & Tumbler here!)

Every year when it starts to heat up outside, I don’t think about pool parties and picnics, I think about pets left in cars! I panic because I’ve witnessed too many stupid, cruel situations. When I go out in public, I’m like the Terminator, I scan parking lots for animals left in cars and as a result I’ve had quite a few heated arguments with clueless pet owners. Luckily, I’ve not had to break a car window to save an animal (yet). It’s a stressful code to live by, but it’s much worse for the fur kids left in cars while their humans are chilling in the frozen foods isle deciding which ice cream to buy.

Whether it’s hot or warm, please be vigilant with your fur kids and educate others with my handy Hot Cars Kill poster. And if you feel like being a walking billboard, carry my DIY tumbler and get my Hot Cars Kill t-shirt:)…yes, please!

Many people don’t realize just how dangerous heat is for pets and even fewer people understand that what feels like moderate heat to a human can be lethally hot for pets.

Animals don’t sweat like us humans do with our 2-4 million sweat glands, so they heat up A LOT quicker and cool down A LOT slower. Your pet’s primary source of cooling down is through panting which is wildly inefficient. What is mild to you can be hot, even deadly, especially for flat-faced & short muzzled, young, old, overweight, muscular, large, sick/compromised, and thick-coated dogs.

The other way dogs cool down is by increased blood flow to the extremities and areas without fur, like ears and paw pads causing heat loss. So be aware of this when covering paws with booties in warm weather—a dog’s ability to reduce her temperature will be blocked by paw coverings.

The #1 cause of heatstroke in dogs is leaving them in a vehicle! Even on a cloudy, mild day, parked in the shade, with windows rolled down, a car can reach dangerous heat levels. Heatstroke can permanently damage your pet’s brain and organs and kill them quickly.

Download my Hot Cars Kill poster & tumbler

Ask shops and restaurants to display this poster. Keep a few copies handy in your car when you need to educate fellow citizens :). Ask you vet’s office to leave a stack at their front desk. Share with family and friends. Be an animal avenger!

Download my FREE Hot Cars Kill tumbler art and make your very own custom drink tumbler! (Get the stainless steel Tumbler here on Amazon!—my art is designed to fit this tumbler.

This stainless steel tumbler is made well and is easy to clean. The best part is, you can change out the design as much as you want. Forget about swapping out expensive handbags, swap out your tumbler art!  

This original Red and Howling design will be one of many designs that I’ll be making for this useful tumbler! It makes a great gift. You can print out my artwork as much as you’d like for PERSONAL USE ONLY. 

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Many countries, provinces, territories. and states have laws in place to protect pets from being left in vehicles, so a person who leaves a pet in a hot car could be charged. Regardless of whether a state has “Hot Car” Laws, the pet owner can still be charged under that state’s general Animal Neglect Law.

If you’re in the UK, you can join the movement #DogsDieinHotCars started by the RSPCA.

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(Many have asked, so I’m sharing some of my favorite things with you). Here are a few handy heat protection items that I’ve used when traveling with my dogs:

I love anything cute and well made and these car sun shades are both! I drove across the U.S. from Virginia to California (twice) with these on the back windows and it kept the car cooler and the sun out of my pup’s face on the long drive. They can suction to the window or magnetize to a surface and they’re double-sided! Check them out here.

I love the company RuffWear. I have a smartly designed, sturdy harness and life vest from them. They also make some great travel water bowls and a cute, cooling reversible neck gaiter that uses “evaporative cooling technology” (I have no idea how this works, but it stays cooler when activated with water).

Ruffwear travel water/food bowl:

Ruffwear cooling neck gaiter:

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Be an Animal Avenger
Help raise awareness with these items from my Red and Howling Shop