With temperatures on the rise it's important to take pets into consideration when venturing out for the day.

People may choose to take their dogs with them and leave them in their vehicles while they run into a store but Tim Stobbs, municipal enforcement manager for the Town of Okotoks, says that's not recommended.

He says it's easy for any warm-blooded being to overheat in a confined space with limited to no air flow, even with the window cracked.

"We have to think about the inside of a car like an oven, and if it's 25 degrees in a car it can rise to well above 40 degrees in half an hour even with the windows cracked," he says. "You have to understand the dog can suffer severe illness, organ damage or death in a matter of minutes when they're exposed to this kind of heat."

Municipal enforcement officers have laser thermometers that can read the heat inside a vehicle and a $250 fine can be given to those who leave their dogs unattended and confined in a hot vehicle.

Stobbs says it's a controversial topic when it comes to leaving dogs in a vehicle while it's running with the AC on.

"You're being pretty dependant on a mechanical device to ensure that your animal is safe and not being put at risk by extreme heat so I suppose if you trusted your air conditioning to be 100 percent effective you could probably leave it running but then you expose yourself to having your vehicle stolen."

He adds the safest choice if going out for the day is to leave dogs at home so they're not left in a compromising and dangerous situation.

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