Hialeah

In Memory of Jimmy and Hector, K-9s Who Died in Hot Car

It was one of those days. It was last year, sometime in mid-August when the only thing hotter than the sun was the temper of seemingly everyone I met. Maybe it was a full moon, but the whole city just seemed ready to explode. I was no peach myself. I’m from England. This heat? This humidity? This relentless sun? As we say across the pond “it’s just not done!” It makes me crazy! But I digress.

In the midst of sniping staff, frantic pet-parents and an onslaught of emergencies, I had a phone call to make. Buster’s biopsy results were in, and the news was not good. Buster’s mom had done everything she could have possibly done, but the cancer was winning. I left her several messages, knowing I would not be in the office the following day. This was not a call that could be delegated. She deserved to hear it from me. By the end of the day, I still hadn’t heard from her. I packed up our two dachshunds (who go to work with us almost every day) and put their carriers in the back seat of the car. I hadn’t even put the key in the ignition when my wife came out and tapped on the passenger side window. “Buster’s mom is on the phone,” she said. “Go back in and pick up line two. I’ll bring the dogs back inside.”

I hadn’t thought about that day for a long time. I remembered it last week when Miami awoke to the news that two K-9 police officers, Hector and Jimmy, had died after being left in their handler’s SUV. Online commentators demanded answers to questions like “How does this happen?” Who does this?” “How is this possible?” Don’t get me wrong - I want answers too. But the question that’s been haunting me personally is “What if?”

“I’ll bring the dogs back inside.”

Guys, we all know that our wives’ - ahem, how can I say this? - attention to detail (whew!) is not always a welcome trait.

But what if she hadn’t said that?

What if she didn’t realize I had put the dogs in the car? What if she had been distracted? What if I had been needed for a bleeding emergency that required all hands - including hers - on deck? What if she had assumed that she was going to bring the dogs home? What if she thought they were still in their kennels? What if in our zeal to save someone else’s pet, we had forgotten about our own? I like to think we’re both pretty smart people, but what if things had gone down just a little bit differently? What if the unthinkable had happened?

Perhaps by now, some of you are thinking I’m being a bit melodramatic. After all, it’s not like this happens all the time. But here’s the thing. It does happen all the time. Last year, 38 children lost their lives in hot cars. While no one seems to officially track the number of pets who die in this manner, educated guesses range from the low hundreds to well into the thousands every year. Yes, you read that correctly. Every. Year. In fact it’s such a problem, that a colleague in North Carolina, Dr. Ernie Ward, locked himself in a hot car for 30 minutes and documented his physical and psychological responses. Dr. Ward is a triathlon coach and Ironman competitor. The man is no stranger to working up a sweat - something he reminds his viewers that our pets cannot adequately do. Seeing him respond to the conditions in his car is very disturbing as hell. He did it to prove a point, and God knows he got my attention. But then there’s Jimmy and Hector, amongst countless others.

Dogs love to go for rides in the car. But don’t let a momentary impulse turn into a lifetime of regret. If you must have your pet in the car with you, tie a ribbon around the steering wheel and another on the door handle to remind yourself they are there. Tie another one around your wrist. Set alarms on your phone for every five minutes. Check your rear view mirrors constantly. Place something you know you won’t forget (purse, cell phone, wallet, etc.) in the back seat next to your pet. Humans are fallible. Hold each other accountable. Text each other, pester each other. Be a nag! Know where your dogs are at all times and don’t feel guilty about leaving them at home. Can you leave them in the car while you ran a quick little errand? Please! This is Miami - there is no such thing as a quick errand! Tinted windows and shaded parking spots are just as dangerous. Don’t do it. And don’t kid yourself that it’s “really not that hot”. A study released by Stanford University showed that when the outside temperature is just 70 degrees, the temperature inside a parked car reaches 104 degrees in just under 30 minutes. If that still doesn’t sound so bad, put on a fur coat. Now you know how your dog feels.

Jimmy and Hector gave us everything they were. They will be deeply mourned and sorely missed. They are survived by a grieving community, a shattered police force and a caretaker that must live with “what ifs” for the rest of his life. Run freely, Jimmy and Hector - the Rainbow Bridge awaits. Say hi to my buddy Toby for me. Please tell him I miss him. Most importantly, rest in the peace. Those you’ve left behind will know neither peace nor rest for a long, long time. Thank you for your service. And thanks for watching over us.

I’ve never met you, but something tells me you always will.

Dr. Ian Kupkee is a veterinarian at Sabal Chase Animal Clinic.

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