Smash a Window + Save a Pet = No Arrest

We hear it all the time but we can never hear it enough. Don't leave your pets in hot cars. With temperatures ranging from 85 to near 90 degrees over the next couple of days this is particularly important. Back in the summer of 2018 we had a local news story where a couple of local dogs passed away due to being locked in a hot vehicle for several hours. Let's not see that occur again.

In case you weren't aware, Massachusetts State Police are reminding the community that you can legally break a car window to save an animal from overheating.

According to Masslive.com in 2016, Gov. Charlie Baker signed an 'Act Preventing Animal Suffering and Death,' which later passed unanimously in the legislature. This law allows citizens to act when they see a pet suffering in an overheated car.

However before doing this there are some efforts you need to take first which include making an effort to find the owner, making a call to authorities and staying at the scene. But if time is ticking and there isn't a speedy result to get the animal out of the vehicle after these efforts have been made, the law wants you to save that pet from an overheated vehicle.

In addition, the same Masslive article reports that dogs can die of heatstroke within 15 minutes even if a window is down. Take a look at the timeline image provided by the Massachusetts State Police at the beginning of this article.

So there you go. If you see something, say something but if all else fails smash a window and free that animal.