Stopping for dinner and leaving the dog in A/C....

[mike77leprechau]

so, planning 5 hour drive. I have a german shepherd. I have a Brand new Ram 1500 with climate control and remote start that I can check interior temperature by looking at my key fob. my worry is that if we stop half way for a 45 minute dinner, and I let the truck run with the air on using the starter, monitor the temp, etc is that enough to stop some do gooder from smashing my truck window to "save" her (its legal for them to do that now and they don't have to prove a darn thing) other people leave their dogs in the trailer with vents opened so people won't see I REFUSE to do that myself, I mean, the dog is going to be sitting in a/c.... any thoughts,? I mean if i had an older vehicle I couldn't monitor or trust the a/c this would be a different discussion... worse comes to worse we just drive straight through but i know we'd like to stop and the dog would be just fine! am I over thinking this?

[Jack_Diane_Free]

Do not know how your Ram is set up but my F250 will only run 10 minutes using the remote start and then it will shut down and I would have to restart.

[Mr__Camper]

I'm not sure where your real problem is by your post. On travel days we get up early, have breakfast, and leave about 8-9 a.m. We pack a lunch and after about 3 hours, stop at a rest area/large shopping center parking lot to eat and walk the dogs. Then we get back on the road and drive another 2-3 hours. We arrive in next park between 3-4 p.m. Dogs are fed, happy and comfortable laying on their beds if we are going out to eat.

[Halmfamily]

We usually eat outside with the dogs. I have left my truck running with the A/C on and the dogs inside. If someone is dumb enough not to hear my truck running and they break the window so be it. I'll let the police deal with them as I'm sure my dogs will also not be very happy someone was breaking into our truck.

[Crowe]

PUT the dog in the trailer open the windows and be done with it. Dogs and humans survived well before A/C.
If your dog cannot survive a little heat then leave it home.

To an extent I agree about the dog surviving heat, but if it's really hot and no breeze it could be an issue. To add on to darsben's comments, if you have a/c and a genny you could run that while in a parking lot. If not, look for some battery operated fans that you can run if you have no power. Park in the shade if possible. Another thought is to do take-out of some sort and then find a park to eat in or eat in the trailer with the pup.

[darsben]

PUT the dog in the trailer open the windows and be done with it. Dogs and humans survived well before A/C.
If your dog cannot survive a little heat then leave it home.

[BTPO1]

When traveling and want to stop and eat out one of us stays in the MH while the other goes and gets food. Most of the time we bring food to eat precooked and ready to eat since it is cheaper than eating out. JMO

[DavidP]

When we travel the kids and wife eat inside (usually a place like Subway/fast food) and I stay with the truck and eat outside. I would never leave my truck running out of site with our dog in it. I trust the technology in monitoring the temps more than I trust some people encountering a running vehicle.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

In some states it is illegal to leave a vehicle idling and unattended. In some states it is also illegal to leave a pet unattended in a vehicle regardless of whether the AC is on. I would check the laws where you stop. In addition some vehicles will shut off if they overheat. Your key fob should warn you if that happens but what if it fails? I would not risk it. Pack a lunch and include the pet or get fast food.

[amandasgramma]

good point that TucsonJim suggested. Also, you might consider a fast food joint and eating in the truck.

[TucsonJim]

Just a thought. You might try taping a note to a side window (on both sides) stating that there is a dog in the truck and the temperature is being controlled by air conditioning. You might also leave your cell number on the note for anyone with concerns.