The only two states that criminalize leaving pets in dangerous conditions while not allowing for anyone to damage the car to protect the pet are New Jersey and West Virginia. In NJ, law N.J.S.A. 4:22-26, states that you cannot leave an animal or creature unattended in a vehicle under inhumane conditions adverse to their health or welfare but offers no immunities to law enforcement officials, animal welfare officers, or civilians attempting to prevent harm.

Dogs can die after just 10 minutes in a hot car. There have been countless stories of defenseless animals dying as car temperatures quickly rise above 100 degrees. According to PETA, on a cool 72-degree day, the temperature can rise to 115 degrees in only an hour, and on an 80-degree the heat can spike to 100 degrees in just 10 minutes.

Dogs unfortunately cannot sweat, so the heat gets trapped inside their body. Their fur adds an additional layer of insulation keeping them hot. Because of this, they are in more danger and are more susceptible to heat-stroke and its complications. These complications - seizures, organ failure, and clotting problems - often prove fatal.

If you were to see a puppy stuck in 90-degree heat in New Jersey and were to call law enforcement, all you or law enforcement could do is look for the owner and wait. The owner would later be charged with animal cruelty but the puppy would have paid the price.

“Good Samaritan” laws, those providing citizens with immunity to break into cars to protect animals, exist in a variety of states including California, Colorado, and Massachusetts and states like New York and Delaware allow law enforcement and humane officers to legally break into cars to rescue animals.

Please sign this petition to spread awareness to this issue and help update the New Jersey law to allow immunity for good samaritans, or at least law enforcement officials, to save these animals being put in harm's way.

Photo from the ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/blog/pets-left-hot-cars-everyones-problem