Michigan Law – You Can’t Break A Window To Save Dog In Hot Car

Apparently, If I see a dog trapped in a hot car with the windows up in Michigan I'm going to jail.

First the kind of good news:  A proposed bill would have made it a felony to leave a pet in a hot or cold vehicle in the state of Michigan.

The bad news: If you break a window to save a pet YOU are also breaking the law.

According to WWMT,

The proposal has cleared a state senate committee and is waiting for a vote.  While the bill works its way through Lansing, Barber wants to remind people not to try to take matters into their own hands.  You are not protected from prosecution in Michigan if you break a window or damage a car to rescue a pet.

That bill was proposed in 2018.  However, of the 31 states with laws in place to protect dogs from this horrifying death, Michigan is NOT one of them according to AnimalLaw.info.

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So, what should you do if you see that someone left a pet in a hot or cold vehicle?  WJBQ.com had these tips:

• Take a picture of the license plate with your phone
• Call local authorities
• Stay with the animal...never leave the vehicle.
• Ask someone to get water (in the event first responders get the dog out and you can start cooling the dog)
• Remain calm (most important)

The fact of the matter is, that the inside of your car can quickly become much hotter on the inside than it is outside of the vehicle during a warm, sunny day.  Leaving children and pets in your vehicle with the windows up is incredibly dangerous.