Summer has officially descended on Evansville which means the increase in temperature and humidity we know all too well around here is back as well. While keeping ourselves cool is a priority, the Evansville Police Department is reminding residents of the dangers of keeping our furry family members (those not named "Dad") inside a vehicle on these hot, steamy days.

What many people don't realize is the temperature inside a vehicle isn't the same as the what it is outside. Just because it's a pleasant 80 degrees outside, doesn't mean the inside of a car or truck with the windows rolled up is equal. Add a thick layer of fur all over their body, and the increased temperature gets even more dangerous.

The Department posted a chart on their Facebook page over the weekend showing how quickly the temperature inside a closed vehicle rises over time, along with the Indiana State Code regarding animal cruelty, and the punishment that goes along with it.

The full post reads:

It's starting to get hot outside. Please remember DO NOT leave your dog in a hot car. It is against the law.

Indiana Code 35-46-3-7

Abandonment or neglect of vertebrate animals; defense
Sec. 7.
(a) A person who:
(1) has a vertebrate animal in the person’s custody; and
(2) recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally abandons or neglects the animal; commits cruelty to an animal, a Class A misdemeanor. However, except for a conviction under section 1 of this chapter, the offense is a Level 6 felony if the person has a prior unrelated conviction under this chapter.
(b) It is a defense to a prosecution for abandoning a vertebrate animal under this section that the person who had the animal in the person’s custody reasonably believed that the vertebrate animal was capable of surviving on its own.
(c) For purposes of this section, an animal that is feral is not in a person’s custody. As added by P.L.193-1987, SEC.10. Amended by P.L.171-2007, SEC.8; P.L.111-2009, SEC.12; P.L.158-2013, SEC.558.
Evansville Municipal Code
6.05.040 Prohibited acts.
(A) No person shall do the following prohibited acts:
(13) Leave an animal unattended in a vehicle when conditions in that vehicle would constitute a health hazard to the animal.

As recently as Monday, police officers arrested a man who left his two dogs in the car while he gambled at Tropicana Casino. The high for Monday was 92-degrees.

If you must take your dogs with you wherever you're going, make sure you take them to places that are pet friendly. If you're destination isn't pet friendly, leave them at home in the air conditioning.
[Source: Evansville Police Department via Facebook]

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