A couple from Silver Spring, Md., found out the hard way Sunday what can happen when dogs are left in an unventilated car under the afternoon sun.
Lancaster city police and representatives from the Organization for Responsible Care of Animals were called to the 500 block of West Walnut Street around 2 p.m. for a report of two large dogs locked in a black Volkswagen Beetle.
The dogs, male and female Weimaraners named Chunko and Abby, were in the advanced stages of heat exhaustion and close to death, said Connie Kondravy of ORCA.
Kondravy said it's an important time of year for people to be aware of how heat affects their pets.
"It's 60 degrees right now, but that doesn't mean a dog or a small child can't be overwhelmed by the heat in a car," Kondravy said.
The incident began when the couple, who were in town to have lunch with friends, locked their dogs in the car and walked to Franklin & Marshall College, leaving Chunko and Abby in the car for about three hours.
A neighbor saw the dogs in the car and called Lancaster city police and ORCA.
Barbara Homsher, who was answering emergency calls for ORCA on Sunday, arrived at the scene about 2:15 p.m. She said police had opened the car, and the male Weimaraner was lying listlessly on the sidewalk while the female was slumped halfway out the door.
Homsher said she rushed the dogs to Pets Emergency Treatment Services on North Queen Street. She tried to cool them down with a cold towel in her van, she said, but the male was "in critical condition."
Representatives from PETS would not comment on the condition of the dogs Sunday night, but Kondravy said she talked to the dogs' owners about 5 p.m., and they told her both dogs were recovering, but the male dog had symptoms of blindness.
She said Lancaster police cited the couple for negligence, which carries a maximum fine of $750. Police did not release the name of the couple.
Kondravy said people need to have ventilation in a car if they plan to keep a pet in it for any length of time.
If a pet is suffering from heat, she said, the most important thing is to cool it down with cold water and then call a veterinarian or ORCA at their 24-hour hot line, 397-8922.
The heat on a 60-degree day can be just as bad as that of a 90-degree day, she said, and "the brain literally starts to fry" when heat prostration begins with a dog.
"You ramify that by several hours in a car, and you have a recipe for death," Kondravy said.
She said ORCA responded to 2,644 animal rescues last year with a small group of volunteers.
Homsher, who spends time volunteering with the group, said she's disgusted by the way some people treat their pets.
"So many times you want to take the people and shake them, but our main concern is for the animals," Homsher said. "Hopefully this will educate (the dog owner) and pass on the lessons to others."
E-mail: myoder@lnpnews.com