Can You Legally Break A Dog Out Of A Hot Car In Oklahoma?

Oklahoma is finally feeling the heat, which can be dangerous for some pets. Although it is not explictly illegal in Oklahoma to leave dogs in a car, it is extremely discouraged this time of year. There are a variety of reasons not to do it, but ultimately, it can be a fatal mistake that pet owners should avoid making.

In some states, there are a variety of laws that can protect good samaritans who see an animal in distress and choose to break the animal out of a hot car. Unfortunately, there do not seem to be many in Oklahoma, which means that folks who're trying to do a good thing may still be penalized.

Instead, here are a few ways that you can help without facing the same legal repurcussions as you would if you broke into someone else's property.

"Animals can die of heatstroke with 15 minutes," says the National Weather Service.

Lately, the heat index has been climbing over 100 degrees in the Sooner State. And since just 70 degrees can already put animals at risk when they’re left in a car, this kind of extreme heat makes things dangerous really fast.

@perfecteverythingboy The hottest I’ve seen the kennels get is around 140 F #part2 #hotdogsummer #hotdog #dogsafety #heatadvisory #summer #doghealth #dogsports #travelingwithdogs #campingwithdogs #hotcar #aluminet #ventlocks #fyp #parttwo ♬ original sound - Changeling Brit

Even if they're left in the vehicle for a "short" amount of time, it doesn't take long for the temperature to make conditions worse for dogs left in the car. According to the National Weather Service, all it takes it 15 minutes for things to go from bad to worse.

"It is NEVER safe to leave a child, disabled person or pet locked in a car, even in the winter," they wrote. "Deaths routinely are reported as early as April and tragedies continue into December in southern states."

Instead of leaving a pet in your car, leave them home (preferably indoors). If someone spots your animal in a locked vehicle with temperatures this high, they may be inclined to try and seek help from authorities or rescue the animal themselves. In Oklahoma, however, that may not be the best course of action.

Before you decide to break a pet out of a locked car, consider this.

Oklahoma may not have an explicit law against leaving animals in the car during the summer. But in some cities, there are city ordinances against leaving animals "in any standing or parked vehicle without providing for adequate ventilation nor shall a person allow an animal to be exposed to extreme temperatures while confined in a vehicle," such as in Oklahoma City.

In some cases, pet owners have been charged with animal cruelty for leaving them in a hot car. In a particular case from 2019, Good Samaritan laws helped prevent the civilian from being prosecuted for breaking and entering in order to save the dog.

Unfortunately, there is no gaurantee that Good Samaratin Laws can cover every incident of rescuing an animal from a hot car. Rather, most folks are encouraged to contact authorities and stay with the pet until they've been rescued from the extreme temperatures.