Children and the Heat

• Never leave a child alone in a car.
• Make sure vehicles are locked to keep children from playing in vehicles during hot weather.
• Place other items (like cellphone, purse, or briefcase) you may need once you arrive at your destination in the back seat with your children or pets.
• Leaving a child or pet inside a hot vehicle is against the law. Call 911 if you encounter an emergency situation.

The temperature in your car can quickly become deadly!

If the temperature Outside is 80 degrees F:

After 10 Minutes the inside temperature can be 99 degrees F.

After 20 Minutes the inside temperature can be 109 degrees F.

After 40 Minutes the inside temperature can be 114 degrees F.

After 60 minutes the inside temperature can be 123 degrees F.

Pets and the Heat:

Heat in South Texas can easily put your pets at risk for overheating. Animals cool their bodies by panting which is much less effective than sweating. The following are some tips to help pets beat the heat.

• Fresh water and shelter should always be available.
• It’s the law - outdoor pets must be provided with all-day shade, access to fresh water, and shelter. Chain tethers are not allowed.
• Pets most at risk from overheating include young, elderly, or overweight pets, those with a short muzzle, or those with thick or dark-colored coats.
• Symptoms of heat stress include excessive thirst, heavy panting, glazed eyes, vomiting, restlessness, lethargy, fever, dizziness, a rapid heartbeat, profuse drooling or salivating, and unconsciousness.
• If an animal does show signs of heat stress, gradually lower their body temperature, and get them to a vet immediately.
• A shaded parking spot or cracking the window “a little bit” does very little to reduce the temperature inside a parked car. On an average 85-degree day, the temperature inside a car can reach 102 degrees in as little as 10 minutes and 120 degrees in thirty minutes.
• If you see a pet locked in a hot car or in the back of a truck, immediately jot down the car’s description (including a license plate number) and go into a nearby store to have the owner paged. If you don’t get a response, call 911 or 311 immediately. City ordinance allows Animal Care Officers and the police to break a car’s window if an animal is endangered inside that vehicle. Owners found in violation of the City’s laws governing animals could result in animal cruelty charges if the pet sustains injury or death.