Travelling With a Dog in Hot Weather: UK Guide

It can be, with care, but hot weather sharply raises the risk and the margin for error is small. Dogs cannot sweat to cool down the way people do; they rely mainly on panting, which becomes far less effective in a hot, stuffy car or on a sun-baked walk. A journey that is routine in spring can become dangerous on a summer afternoon.

The safest approach is to travel in the coolest parts of the day, keep the car well ventilated or air-conditioned, and break the journey often for water and shade. If the forecast is for real heat, consider whether the trip is necessary at all that day. As the Royal Veterinary College notes, heatstroke is a medical emergency, and prevention is far easier than treatment.

Heatstroke can escalate fast, so learn to spot it early. The first signs are easy to miss, and a dog can deteriorate from mild distress to collapse in a short time. Watch for:

Any dog can suffer heatstroke, but some are far more vulnerable. Flat-faced, or brachycephalic, breeds top the list because their shortened airways make panting much less effective. UK veterinary research from the Royal Veterinary College's VetCompass programme found British Bulldogs are around fourteen times more likely to develop heatstroke than Labradors, and Pugs around six times more likely.

Other high-risk dogs include the overweight, the very old and the very young, thick-coated northern breeds, and any dog with heart or breathing problems. Exercise, not just hot cars, is a major trigger, so on warm days these dogs in particular should be walked gently and only in the cool. When in doubt, do not go out.

UK vets now follow a simple rule: cool first, transport second. Cooling a dog before you set off for the vet has been shown to raise survival rates dramatically, so do not waste time driving while your dog overheats in the car. Act on the spot, then call ahead to your vet.

Leaving a dog alone in a parked car is the single most dangerous hot-weather mistake. The RSPCA warns that when it is 22 degrees outside, the inside of a car can reach a deadly 47 degrees within an hour, even with the windows cracked and parked in shade.

It is not in itself illegal to leave a dog in a car, but if the dog suffers or dies as a result, you can be prosecuted for causing unnecessary suffering under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which carries a sentence of up to 51 weeks in prison and an unlimited fine. The simple rule is the one the campaigns repeat every summer: dogs die in hot cars, so never leave one inside, not even for a few minutes.

If you find a dog in distress in a locked car, dial 999. The police have powers the RSPCA does not. If you decide the situation is so urgent that you must break in, tell the police first and be ready to justify your actions, as you would otherwise risk a criminal-damage charge.