Dog Rescued From Hot, 105° Car at Colorado Ski Resort

Take care of your furballs, folks.

Recently, in Colorado, one dog owner and their sidekick had a close call in a ski resort parking lot. Animal control officers responded to a report at Copper Mountain of a dog trapped in a car, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

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At first, the officers noted that the dog didn't appear to be in distress. They tried a few phone numbers but couldn't reach the dog's owner. As time passed and the temperature increased, the dog became lethargic, started to drool, and began panting rapidly.

The officers decided to contact law enforcement, who they worked together with to unlock the car and free the dog. The inside of the car had peaked just above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The dog's internal body temperature was almost 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

The normal internal body temperature range for a dog is between 99.5 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the American Kennel Club. Leaving the upper end of that range is considered hyperthermia, and the trapped dog, due to the panting and lethargy, was possibly showing signs of heatstroke.

The dog was transported to the Summit County Animal Shelter while its owner was cited for endangering the health of an animal confined in a vehicle. The Summit County Sheriff's Office didn't share further information about the dog's condition.

Hot cars present a unique risk to dogs. In the sun, a vehicle's internal temperature can increase rapidly, breaking into the triple digits, even when it's not particularly warm outside.

One study found that the internal temperature of a parked car surrounded by an ambient temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit will reach above 110 degrees Fahrenheit within an hour. And cracking the windows—a classic go-to—doesn't help with keeping temperatures down, per the same study.

The opposite problem exists on colder days, which are more commonly encountered by skiers with dogs. The clear lesson is this—if you bring Fido to the mountain, make sure you don't forget him in the car. Man's best friend deserves better than that.