California now allows you to smash through a stranger’s car window to rescue an overheating dog
- 8 years ago
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — The golden state’s governor, Jerry Brown, announced a new law this week That will allow good samaritans to break into cars to save suffocating pooches.
Under Bill AB-797, if a dog is spotted in a hot car, people in California will no longer have to stand idly by, helpless. Citizens will be protected from legal repercussions for any damage done to rescue an overheating animal, provided they have followed the necessary steps to ascertain there was no other way to handle the situation. Concerned citizens must first make sure the car’s doors are locked, and that there is no clean way to enter the vehicle. Citizens must also first contact law enforcement to report the situation. Only if the cops don’t arrive fast enough, and the dog appears to be overheating, does it become legally permissible to rescue the animal by any means necessary. Citizens will then have to wait by the car for police officers to arrive.
The Right to Rescue Act was passed unanimously by a vote of 7-to-0.
Under Bill AB-797, if a dog is spotted in a hot car, people in California will no longer have to stand idly by, helpless. Citizens will be protected from legal repercussions for any damage done to rescue an overheating animal, provided they have followed the necessary steps to ascertain there was no other way to handle the situation. Concerned citizens must first make sure the car’s doors are locked, and that there is no clean way to enter the vehicle. Citizens must also first contact law enforcement to report the situation. Only if the cops don’t arrive fast enough, and the dog appears to be overheating, does it become legally permissible to rescue the animal by any means necessary. Citizens will then have to wait by the car for police officers to arrive.
The Right to Rescue Act was passed unanimously by a vote of 7-to-0.