Leaving Dogs In Vehicle

T

Thinblueline

Member
A while back I posted a thread on the Upland Journal website concerning leaving dogs in a vehicle for short stints, in the context of hunting one dog while leaving the other in your vehicle, before coming back to the vehicle and swapping them out. Among various other more minor concerns I was looking for from others’ experiences, I was primarily worried if there were stories of stolen dog(a) from the vehicle while off in the distance with other dog(s). Glad to say that didn’t seem to be much of a problem that any of the thread participants had heard about.

Now I’d like to know what you guys think about the span of time a dog can be left in a vehicle without problems developing. The situation is that I would like to take my two French Brittany’s to North Dakota for a week or two for a combo hunt of waterfowl and pheasants. My dogs are strictly upland hunters and are not water dogs. I would either be marching or kayaking away from my Toyota Highlander SUV in the pre-dawn darkness to hunt waterfowl each day and quite likely wouldn’t return for upwards of five hours. Weather the last couple weeks of October through the first week of November can obviously run the whole gamut, but I’m wondering your thoughts on leaving the dogs in a crate for that long. Incidentally, my crate is homemade for my two dogs to be inside of together and has enough height for them to sit or stand up and turn around, albeit with having to bow their heads a little. I wouldn’t really have any other choice but to keep them crated in my vehicle if I was going to split time between waterfowl and upland birds each day, but if it simply isn’t good to be leaving dogs in a crate that long, I’ll forgo waterfowl hunting for the well-being of my dogs in a second. What do you guys think about this?
 
I wouldn't--no, make that I couldn't--do that. I'd get a motel room or check with local vets for temp boarding.

Decades ago, I was called in to try and resuscitate an English Setter pup which had been left in a car, all windows open, in a crate. The pup was dead.
Image can still flash in my memory as I type this.

Find an alternative.
 
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I have a gsp and he stays in the truck cab in a kennel over night when we hunt in ND. I would not have any issue leaving him for half a day while hunting waterfowl. The weather doesn’t matter as he has a pad in the kennel and if it’s super cold I cover the kennel with a blanket. The group I hunt with have labs and split duties so some of the dogs are in dog boxes in the back of the truck half the day no issues. I don’t see a problem with you splitting time on your hunts
 
5 hours would be pushing it for me. Weather would also be a major factor. I almost killed a dog once. Parked him in the shade after a hunt. 60 degrees. Open bed truck. Black homemade dog box with not enough ventilation. When I came back from the next hunt, truck was in the sun. He was next to dead. Carried him to a creek and laid him in the water. Never left his side for a couple days. One of the worst feelings I've ever had. If you do, I suggest driving separately. Take a half an hour and walk back to the truck and let them out a little while every couple hours. I used to take the above dog to work with me. Let him out on morning break and lunch. I had spots close to work. could be hunting by 3:30.
 
Cold is never an issue unless it is extreme. The danger is heat. Also, five hours might be too long during the day.

A tip for hot days: leave your rig running with the air conditioning on full blast. It works with my 4Runner. The engine temp gauge does rise but not to overheating even on a 100-degree day. I manually lock it when I do this. Also, wire crates are the coolest.
 
5 hours is too long for my dog in a crate/travel kennel too.

As far as leaving a dog in a car on a warm day, that opens a whole new can of worms. I refuse to leave my dog in a car if its anything above about 60 degrees, and I won't do it for anything more than a few minutes at a time if I need to go inside somewhere. I've heard too many horror stories about animals (and kids) over heating in what essentially turns into a giant oven. Leaving the car running is absolutely a no go for me either. Someone can easily break in and drive off. Some states now have laws on the books about leaving animals or kids in a car unattended so there is that now too.
 
Thinblueline said:
Yeah my crate is a 2x4 frame with wire sides and top, so completely open to air flow.
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I figured out how to increase the air flow when I had a Nissan ExTerra. I took a .25 inch rod about a foot long and bent it to fit in the both the latch and the lock on the back hatch. Stuck it in the lock of the hatch and the bottom and push the lock button. locked up tight with a nice gap in the bottom and the windows cracked.
 
5 hours is a pretty long hunt in ND - you'd be back to the truck around noon. Go hunt a pothole for a couple hours in the morning and/or evening and call it good.

Your scenario reminded me of a story I heard a couple years ago: Pair of guys with a young shorthair went to hunt a pothole for a couple hours, left the dog in the truck (no crate). Came back and the truck was completely shredded, had to be totaled. :ROFLMAO:
 
I don't leave my dog in the truck for long periods. You could look into some battery powered crate fans. I have them on both of my dogs crates. Just in case it's gets hot. I live in Georgia so they are almost always on even when I'm driving.
 
zoops said:
5 hours is a pretty long hunt in ND - you'd be back to the truck around noon. Go hunt a pothole for a couple hours in the morning and/or evening and call it good.

Your scenario reminded me of a story I heard a couple years ago: Pair of guys with a young shorthair went to hunt a pothole for a couple hours, left the dog in the truck (no crate). Came back and the truck was completely shredded, had to be totaled. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...

When I was a teenager my dad and I were in western Kansas hunting out of his old station wagon. He had decided to switch from English Pointers to Weimaraners. We had one of those cage dividers in the very back and thought they would be fine as it was only going down to 35 or so. The only difference between what you described above and what we found is they decided to crap in there in addition to shredding most of the seats. It was even smeared on the windows. Man was he pissed. Good thing we found some birds 😂😂😂
 
I bought a portable Ryobi fan at HD and some extra batteries to move air in the back of my truck. I have another larger fan that I runs off a dc power cord too. I can move the air back there pretty well when they're in kennels but I still worry on hot days. My truck has a cap and side windows and screens but the truck is black and gets hot in a hurry even when it doesn't seem that hot out. I have a large digital thermometer in the back so I can keep track of actual inside temps and that helps too but you can't be too careful and I don't leave them for long.
 
I have not heard of dogs being stolen from vehicles out in the field.

I wonder if the motel would be cool with you leaving them there in their kennels? Maybe get one of those things that block the light from coming in the windshield and park facing east or SE. That would help give you a little more time. A remote temperature sensor that gives you readings on your phone, if such a thing exists?

I think most days in the Fall tend to be cloudy.
 
When making long 10+ hour drives in the heat, I use an icy breeze cooler/fan combo in the camper shell that is run off a deep cycle battery. Then I just refill it with ice when I stop for gas or potty break.. (y)
 
On warmer days, I’d probably not hunt waterfowl anyway, so won’t be leaving the dogs alone in the vehicle. It’s how long could they be left in the cold that’s concerning me the most.
 
Thinblueline said:
On warmer days, I’d probably not hunt waterfowl anyway, so won’t be leaving the dogs alone in the vehicle. It’s how long could they be left in the cold that’s concerning me the most.
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My dogs sleep in the truck even in freezing temps with a insulated kennel cover under a truck canopy and get along fine. Body heat keeps the kennel toasty
That is why they were born with a fur coat
Heat us the bigger worry
 
BritChaser said:
Cold is never an issue unless it is extreme. The danger is heat. Also, five hours might be too long during the day.

A tip for hot days: leave your rig running with the air conditioning on full blast. It works with my 4Runner. The engine temp gauge does rise but not to overheating even on a 100-degree day. I manually lock it when I do this. Also, wire crates are the coolest.
Click to expand...
The caution I would add to this.only if you can monitor the temp remotely
At a K9 trading session one of the officers did this while going to lunch..
Air went out or vehical quit running..dog died..
 
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