A few minutes is all it can take: Dogs die in hot cars.

It’s a message that SPCA shares year after year – never leave your pet alone inside a car.

Sadly, this remains one of the most widespread issues our Inspectors face over the summer months, with dogs suffering heatstroke, or even death, inside hot cars.

Many dog owners don’trealise how quickly the temperatures can rise inside a car on a warm day, even when parked in the shade and with windows cracked.

We spoke to SPCA Inspectorate Team Leader, Ben Lakomy, to delve into the ongoing problem and answer some commonly asked questions.

Someone leaving their car after just driving, perhaps with the air-con going or the windows down, might not think it’s that warm inside. But the issue is how quickly that temperature rises once you leave the car and close the door on them.

A lot of people don’t know that dogs only sweat a small amount, and really rely on panting to cool down. Their normal body temperature is around 38.5°C, but in a hot car, panting isn’t enough for them to keep their body temperature in a safe range.

A dog’s body temperature exceeding 41°C is a critical threshold for heatstroke – it's around this point that they can quickly suffer irreparable brain damage, organ failure, or death. It’s incredibly serious and the mortality rate for dogs is between 39-50%. Young, overweight or elderly animals, or those with short muzzles or thick, dark-coloured coats are most at risk of overheating.

The signs can include the dog trying to get into the coolest/shadiest part of the vehicle, panting, drooling and hyperventilation.

No - on a warm day, the inside of your car heats up very quickly. A car parked in the sun can reach over 50°C in less than 15 minutes. It’s really that quick.

We all know that the queues at supermarkets and other stores can be pretty long at this time of year. So often what you think will be a quick visit can end up being longer – it’s best to leave your dog at home, or have someone stay with them in the car, that way the temperature can be managed.

Cracking the windows has very little effect on keeping your car cool on warm days.

Some dog owners may think it’s ok to leave them unattended if the car is parked in the shade with the windows cracked, or if they leave water for the dog - but the reality is that the temperature can still climb to dangerous levels, and other things can happen too. For example the sun shifting so that the car is no longer in shade, or the dog could knock over their water and have nothing to drink.

The bottom line is, it’s not worth risking your dog’s safety for the sake of convenience.

Unfortunately, calls about dogs being left in hot cars make up a large portion of the welfare calls we receive.

Over last summer, these calls made up 11% of all welfare complaints made to SPCA. This is a huge proportion, for something so preventable.

We’re here to help abused, neglected, and vulnerable animals – it’s frustrating that we receive so many calls about dogs left in hot cars. These are often loved pets, and the owners don’t realise the extreme danger they’re putting their dogs in.

If we can continue to get the message out there and educate people on these risks, then we would have more time to help other vulnerable animals. Especially those who aren’t lucky enough to have loving owners.

Yes. We got a call once in October (so not even the hottest part of the year) about a dog inside a car. The person said they’d been keeping an eye on the car, and it had been about 40 minutes already when they called us. I managed to get there in another 15 minutes.

The dog was panting heavily, and there was no water. The windows were cracked about 7cm or so, and there were rain guards on the windows, which restricted the airflow even further.

I think this is what we see a lot – people think that putting the windows down a bit makes everything ok. But if you were to sit in the car yourself for that long in the sun, you’d probably realise how wrong that is.

I attempted to contact the owner of the vehicle first in case they were nearby, but no luck – so I decided to remove the dog.

Shortly after securing the dog in my vehicle with water, and all of the doors and the canopy open for airflow, the owner returned. I explained why I removed the dog and how dangerous the situation was. After initially being somewhat defensive, the owner took on all of the information as a learning – we just wish these cases would never happen in the first place.

It’s important to remember that it’s not automatically an offence or illegal for a dog to be left alone in a car. In saying that, if you see a dog in a hot car that appears distressed as a result (shade-seeking, panting, drooling, hyperventilating) then you should take immediate action.

Seek help to find the owner and respectfully inform them of your concerns, or call Police or SPCA on 0800 SPCA NZ (77 22 69). If it’s safe to do so, remember to note the car registration number so the owner can be contacted if the car leaves the area.

While we are aware this happens, it is not recommended that you break a window as this puts both you and the dog at risk. A dog that appears weak and distressed may become aggressive if someone unfamiliar enters their environment, or they may try to run away.

There is also potential for the dog owner to become aggressive should they return to their car.

If your dog gets heat stressed, you and the owner of the vehicle can be fined $300 each. If the welfare impact on the dog is significant, you could be prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act 1999, and if convicted, face significant consequences such as fines and imprisonment.

Unfortunately, we are sometimes met with defensiveness or even aggression when talking with dog owners.

If you do find yourself being spoken to about leaving your dog in a car (whether by an SPCA Inspector, Police, or another member of the public), please remember that they’re there out of concern for the welfare of the dog, and would appreciate being treated with respect.

We also ask everyone to spread the above messages far and wide – if you have friends, family or colleagues with dogs, please ensure they know the dangers of leaving their pets in hot cars. This is a community problem, and one that I know we can tackle together.

You can help SPCA spread this important message. We have created downloadable posters, a flyer, and a social media tile which explain the dangers of leaving dogs in cars. These can be accessed on our website here.

We encourage you to download and print these resources - the poster can be displayed in workplaces, and the flyer can be handy to keep in your car and share as needed.