...yesterday evening at the corner of Ceder Crest and HWY 92. The wife and I pull in on the bike and of course immediately notice the good looking Golden Retriever in the window of a black Mercedes station-wagon. We talk a sec as we are removing our helmets and then walk towards the Mercedes as that is the general direction in which we needed to go. It took a minute but we realize the car is not running and the windows are cracked. The dog has a muzzle made out of a leash on but is still able to pant and his tongue is hanging pretty good but he appears to be ok. I asked around to some people standing in the lot but no one knows to whom the dog belongs. One girl says, "it's been in there a while". Temps are still in the low 90s per the gauge on my bike. As I start to dial 911 a guy walks out of the vets office and puts his hand in the car and pets the dog. I ask him, is that your dog and he says "I am taking care of it". I told him to get he dog out of the car, it is hot. At this point I am three cars down as I wanted to keep my distance just in case. The guy was early to mid 60s and much smaller than me. He yells, "I take care of this dog better than most people take care of their kids". My wife of course yells back "are you comparing yourself to regular parents or parents who leave their kids in the car" I let him know I am on the phone with 911, he starts demanding my name as he has a right to know who is calling the cops on him. He ends up pretty much in my space and while the 911 operator is talking to me I tell him, I am going to take a step back and that he best not advance as at that point I will feel threatened and will take action. He ended up getting the dog out of the car before the police get there and takes it in the vets. When the police do arrive they tell me he had called them and said he felt threatened. Of course there were 6 people around go no, no, no....lol I do not know how the visit went when the officers went into the vet's office. Now I know I should have never allowed the man into my space but it was a situational call and I did not believe I was in danger. Of course the wife wanted me to start busting windows and let her call 911.
People are freaking idiots. In Cobb County, they have had an all out blitz about not leaving your dog in the car as the police WILL come and you WILL be charged with animal cruelty. I saw this in effect this past Wednesday when an elderly woman thought it was OK to leave her dog in the car while she went to take advantage of her senior discount. When she came out, she had a welcoming committee of 3 Cobb County Cruisers and no less than 5 officers and she didn't look like she was having a pleasant time about it. On Nextdoor, someone mentioned a similar story to yours...at the local Whole Foods. The person who found the dog had his wife page the owner and when the owner came out, his attitude was "it's none of your damn business"...well, he will get to explain that to the judge. If I see a dog locking in a car (and it's NOT running), then I am not thinking twice...I am calling the fuzz on your dumb ass.
Didn't a law pass giving immunity from charges for damaging property to a person who breaks a window to rescue a child? Does it apply to animals too?
Forget legality. Look at morality. It is the moral thing to do. That's all that matters. Just do it. Ask yourself is it right? If it is, do it. If its not right, then you yourself don't do it.
As I recall, there was a recent case, as in after the child-saving law came into effect, where a man did just that, broke the window to rescue a dog. I can't remember if he was criminally charged, or just had to pay the damages, but there WAS a negative consequence to him.
Take a picture or even a 15 second video with your phone. Then act as you see fit. It's called evidence and may prove useful when encountering the legal system. And if you ARE in a confrontational situation, have your spouse or whomever is with you record things (from a safe distance, of course).
Video + Youtube = embarrassment that might be incentive for them to not do it again. If it's a child, I'm breaking the window and getting the child out. If it's an animal, I'll just call 911 and let them handle it. I love animals, but someone else's property does not rise to the level of me getting physically involved to the tune of $$$ for legal defense and/or fines.
I never did hear if the door was checked to be unlocked before busting the window. I heard the car was a convertible. Many convertible drivers such as myself do not lock doors in hopes a thief wont slash the top.