Animal advocate urges Clinton City to create protocol after dog left in hot car

Janet Turpin told the Clinton City Council on Aug. 26 that she found a dog left in a parked, non-running vehicle near Jewel on a recent 83-degree afternoon and that the vehicle’s windows were “barely cracked.” She said she waited about 15 minutes for animal control to arrive and estimated the dog had been inside the vehicle for at least 30 minutes. Turpin said neither she nor other animal advocates saw anyone check on the dog while it was in the car.

Turpin said the vehicle owner “did not start her vehicle until she herself got in and needed air,” and described the owner as laughing about the incident while loading groceries before animal control entered the vehicle. "This is not a joke," Turpin said. "This is a life, whether it be a human or a pet." She reminded the council that the temperature inside a parked car can exceed 130 degrees within 30 minutes and urged the city to adopt an enforceable protocol and increase public education so the ordinance changes made last year are used in practice.

Mayor Scott and council members thanked Turpin and said staff would follow up. Council members directed staff to see what could be done to assist Turpin and to report back to the council; staff (Matt) agreed to work with animal-control and other departments to identify next steps and educational outreach.

Turpin made clear she previously advocated for changes to the city's ordinance on animals left in cars and said she would continue to press the council until she saw effective implementation.

The council did not adopt new rules at the meeting; the council asked staff to investigate options and report back.