A Moore County woman is facing criminal charges after her dog died trying to escape a hot car.
Triniti Graham, of Southern Pines, left the leashed dog inside a car on Thursday with the window cracked. Deputies say the dog, trying to escape the heat that rose to 114 degrees, "busted out a window and was hung."
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Graham, 20, was charged with cruelty to animals. She was taken into custody on $75,000 bond.
Animal advocates say it is never safe to leave a dog in a car, even with the windows cracked.
“Even leaving it in there 5-10 minutes is detrimental to the dog. They can die in a short amount of time,” says Chuck Haggist, supervisor of animal services in Cary.
When it’s 100 degrees outside, the inside of a car will be much hotter. For example, within 10 minutes, the interior temperature could reach 123 degrees. Within an hour, it could jump to 143 degrees.
Research on vehicle safety shows the glass of car windows and dark-colored dashboards or seats amplify the heat of the sun, trapping and warming the air inside the closed cabin.
“It happens really fast,” WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner explained. “The sun’s energy comes through the windshield … Some of it bounces out, but a lot of it gets trapped, like a greenhouse.”
Because dogs don't sweat as efficiently as humans, they are unable to keep themselves cool, and their internal temperature rises quickly into a danger zone.