Last night Maggie and I watched the ABC show “What Would You Do” hosted by John Quiñones  and we were disturbed to see that many people ignored a barking dog locked inside a hot car.  But dog lovers and people who recognized that dogs are living things did take action.  I asked my husband what he would have done and he said he would break a window.

According to the show, the correct thing to do if you see a dog in distress left inside a hot car is to call 911. 

The test was safely arranged with a professional dog actress, Rider, and her trainer (hidden) with air conditioning (also hidden).  With the sun beating down they watch for three hours wondering if anyone will stop to help Rider. 

If the situation were real, this dog could be in serious danger.  According to John’s interview with  an officer from the New Jersey SPCA, the car can very quickly get to a temperature of over 100 degrees and irreversible damage can occur.  There can be problems with the kidneys and brain that could be permanent damage or the dog could die.

See for yourself, and ask yourself what would you do?
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6800375