Katee Sackhoff on Dogs in Hot Cars: ‘Minutes Matter. Seconds Matter.’

Longmire and Battlestar Galactica actor Katee Sackhoff sure knows how to play hardcore characters in film and TV—and now, she’s a badass hero for animals. Katee is putting heat on people never to leave animals inside hot parked cars.

It’s our duty to help animals in need and keep them safe. Animals who are left in hot cars are no exception. Anybody can be a hero—and that means you!

Hot cars are death traps for dogs: On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 100 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Can you imagine the agony of being helplessly trapped inside a hot steel coffin while wearing a fur coat?

Katee says, “It’s shocking how fast a car can get hot. In under 15 minutes, an animal can succumb to brain damage, and within 15 minutes, they can die.”

Watch her video, in which she explains how important it is to do whatever it takes to save a dog trapped inside a hot parked car and how you, too, can be a hero for animals.

Dogs can’t cool themselves by sweating like humans can—the only way that they can cope with the heat is by perspiring small amounts through their paw pads and by panting—so being confined to a hot environment can quickly trigger heatstroke and shock.

If you ever see a dog locked inside a hot car, take action! Alert local businesses to the situation and ask them to page the car’s owner. Call local humane authorities, the police, or 911 (this is an emergency!). Never leave the animal until help arrives—and if the guardian or authorities don’t respond in a timely manner, find witnesses and do whatever it takes to free the distressed animal from the car.