What can you do in South Carolina if you spot a dog in a hot car?

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) — A Lowcountry woman is calling for more protection for pets left in hot cars in South Carolina.

This comes after she said she found a dog locked in a truck this week, and learned there was not much she could do to step in and help.

Tamora Bailey said she was at a shopping center in Summerville Tuesday afternoon when she noticed the dog locked in a vehicle that was not running. She said the windows were rolled down slightly, but the dog was panting excessively.

“It’s just not okay to leave your dog in a car,” she said. “I don’t care about the windows — it still gets too hot to leave an animal inside.”

Bailey said it was around the hottest part of the day when she spotted the dog, and her first reaction was to give the dog water before calling 911.

“I wasn’t able to get the cup in, but I was able to put it to the top of the window where it was cracked,” she explained.

Bailey said two officers arrived and looked up the vehicle’s license plate to try and find the owner. She said the officers told her they were going to try and wait for the owner.

“The officers were out there 10-15 minutes and they checked on the dog the entire time,” explained Capt. Chris Hirsch with Summerville Police. “Again, the windows were down partially, looked like the owner of the vehicle tried to park in the shade.”

Experts say cracking a window makes little to no difference in the temperature inside a vehicle. In fact, temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees within 20 minutes in a vehicle on a hot day, which can be fatal to an animal.

However, Capt. Hirsch said the officers determined the dog was okay before leaving.

“According to one of the officers whose got previous years of K-9 experience, he didn’t feel like the dog was in distress,” he said.

Bailey said officers also advised her not to do anything to the vehicle as South Carolina does not have protections for Good Samaritans trying to save an animal from a hot car.

“If the citizen feels that it’s necessary to break a window it’s going to be on them,” Capt. Hirsch said.

While the state also does not have a law that specifically addresses leaving animals unattended in vehicles, police say pet owners could face penalties depending on the situation.

“An ill-treatment to animal charge that potentially an owner can face for leaving an animal inside of a car,” said Capt. Hirsch. “And one that’s not running and when it’s hot outside — I mean it’s the middle of July, so there’s certainly charges that an owner can face.”

Bailey said she was in the parking lot for about an hour before the owner eventually returned to the vehicle and drove away with his dog.

Now, she says more needs to be done in South Carolina to protect pets in hot cars, and Good Samaritans trying to do the right thing.

“Some of these things really need to be updated and taken care of because these are living beings,” she said.

Summerville Police said Bailey did the right thing by calling 911. They suggest others do the same, so officers can assess the situation and citizens will not be at risk of facing any penalties.