Are you legally allowed to smash car windows to rescue dogs?

[Jazzy]

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You know when it’s 33C, and you want nothing more than to wear a fur coat and sit in the back of your car for an hour?

No? You’d hate that? Well then chances are your dog wouldn’t like it either.

So what do you do when you see a dog suffering in the back of someone’s vehicle?

Do: Call 999 first
You should call 999 and ask for the police, telling them that you’ve found a dog in a hot car.

Don’t: Call RSPCA first
The RSPCA says it may not be able to get there quickly enough – and even if they did, they don’t have powers of entry. So they would need police assistance to get into the car without the owner’s permission.

You can call the RSPCA for advice once you’ve contacted the police and they are on their way.

Should you break the window?
If the situation becomes critical and the police can’t get there fast enough, you may want to smash the window and rescue the dog yourself.

However, this could be classed as criminal damage and could leave you open to prosecution.

Would you break the window? (Why/Why Not)

 

[Worldwide]

without a doubt, I wouldn't call the police first though as that would be like admitting a crime before doing it. I would smash the window, free the dog, then walk away and deny being involved.

 

[Justbec]

I would call 911 first but if I thought the animal was in immediate danger I would smash the window and deal with the consequences later.. after I killed the owner for animal cruelty.

 

[Jazzy]

I would smash a window in a heartbeat. Any consequence done to me would be worth it to save a dogs life.

 

[Bluezone777]

If a law encourages or condones the loss of life whether it be a pet or a person, it needs to be changed. If it isn't already legal to break a window when it is reasonably believed that a pet or person is in danger then it should be and I would love to see someone prosecute someone for breaking a window to save a life. You would have to contort yourself mentally into the equivalent of a pretzel to justify putting someone into prison for it.

 

[leapinglena]

I believe that way too....break window first....and ask questions later...why take a chance on losing a life...be it human or animal