Good Samaritan law could save dogs in Tennessee

By on July 10, 2015

We’ve all seen it and it brings a feeling of anger, panic, sadness and urgency.

Someone has his or her dog in the car, has parked and left with the windows up and the car’s temperature rising. It is hard to fight the urge to walk away, find the owner or bust the window to provide an escape because of concern over the penalties for breaking a window, even if it’s to save a life.

A new law in Tennessee, however, considers this feeling and these circumstances, making it legal to break into a car in order to rescue a baking animal. The law was effective July 1, 2015, and is an extension of a Good Samaritan law similar to the one that protects children in the same position.

Tennessee citizens were surely not just itching to break windows without fear of criminal charges, but now they have a chance to do it if a dog is in danger. Encouraging property damage is also not a typical thing, but in the name of safety, this is a great thing.

To read a bit more about the new law, click here. Also, if you are in a state with a Good Samaritan law that doesn’t apply to dogs, be sure to raise your voice! The problem of dogs trapped in a hot car could be solved where you live thanks to a law like the Tennessee measure.

 

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