Lynchburg, Va. (WSET) — With the scorching temperatures, the City of Lynchburg is reminding you to keep your furry friends cool.
Ryan Ball is the chief animal warden for the City of Lynchburg.
He highlighted city ordinances for the heat and pets.
“The one regarding heat is if it is 85 degrees or higher, they can’t be tethered. The reason being for that is if they are tethered, they are less likely to be able to get to a shady area to cool down,” Ball said.
SEE ALSO: Sizzling summer leads to overheating: Lynchburg EMS on heat-related health hazards
In the extreme weather ordinance, Ball said keeping a dog in the car is highlighted.
“It basically says you can’t have a dog inside a vehicle for more than 15 minutes if the outside temperature is above 75 or higher,” Ball said.
Ball said it is common to get calls of folks who leave their dogs in the car while shopping.
“Most of the time the dogs aren’t in too bad of distress, but sometimes we have had calls where we have to break windows and get the dogs out and take them to the vet. We really don’t want to have to do that this weekend. We prefer people keep their dogs at home where they are safe and cool and they don’t have to worry about them being in their car,” Ball said.
Ball said it is a misdemeanor offense to leave a dog in your car for more than 15 minutes, in 75-degree and hotter weather unless the AC is running.
“That’s probably one of our biggest calls of the summer is just checking on dogs for heat situations, whether it be at someone’s house or in a parking lot. Heat-related calls are exponentially higher in the city for the summer,” Ball said.
Ball explained it’s best to just keep your dog at home.
“We just want to remind you to, especially for hot weekends like this, to try to keep them hope where they are safe and cool,” Ball said.
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