[ihatemyalarmclock]

"And I was worried about leaving my dog in the car--parked in the shade with all the windows down about four inches-- for 10 minutes."

You're right to be concerned, as dogs will generally die before humans when confined in a hot car. Humans sweat: we're "water-cooled." Dogs pant: they're "air-cooled." Depriving a dog of adequate ventilation at high temperatures will fry the critter's brain.

Of course, the same thing can happen to people eventually (especially young children,) hence the tragic story that started this thread.

[Catspaw]

It was around 70 when the pup was in the car and I was still worried about him, even though the windows (all four) were more than cracked. Fortunately, my errand didn't take long & we went off to the dog park where he could play with wild abandon with dog buddies. I wouldn't take the dog along unless I knew it was still relatively cool,I could find a shady spot to park & the errand wasn't going to last long. But I've seen acts of stupidity that could be very lethal for both children and dogs now that hot weather's here again.