Dog In A Hot Car? New Legislation Would Allow Concerned Citizens To Break Windows

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- A new push to protect pets in California would allow people to free dogs left in hot cars without fear of getting sued under new proposed legislation.

Dog owner Daralt likes the proposal. He can't fathom watching his Bichon 'Feya,' or any dog suffer, especially if it's a hot day, and the dog is locked in a parked car with the windows up.

"If someone busted into my window to save my dog, I would be grateful, not resentful," Daralt said.

That sentiment is what Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang is banking on to pass the so-called "hot dog" bill she is co-sponsoring.

To see how a dog would feel, Chang and the other politicians behind the bill locked themselves in a car without air conditioning on a hot day.

After just eight minutes, the politicians couldn't take the heat.

"We need to highlight the point that we are cooling down by sweating and dogs can't sweat. A dog would be dead by now," Chang said.

Still, not everyone's supporting the idea.

"It's going to cause a lot of confusion; a lot of problems," Terry Chambliss said.

Chambliss and his daughter love dogs, but they don't love the bill.

"Unless you take pictures of the dog actually being in there, then you have no proof that the dog was about to die in the hot car," Amani Chambliss said.