‘So That Happened,’ San Bernadino County got it right by using a humorous PSA discouraging dog owners from leaving their pets in cars on hot days. Officials reasoned the humorous ad would be seen by more people than a more serious one. Here’s proof: Do you frantically struggle to change the channel when the first chords of Sarah McLachlan’s song ‘Angel’ herald the most heart-wrenching TV ad ever made? The ASPCA ad was created for a very good cause, but it tears at the heart-strings of animal lovers most of all.
The topic of dogs left in cars on hot days is equally serious, but the San Bernadino PSA is painless, and may get through to well-meaning dog owners who yield to their dog’s constant enthusiasm for road-trips and short jaunts. So great is their love of travel, that dogs will sit in the car while you make motor sounds and pretend to drive.
Be warned, ‘So That Happened’ took the ad the extra mile, innocently at first, with ‘One Car + One Baby + Sun = Big Baby No-No.’ Soon, they are in full nihilistic ‘art’ mode with the addition of blenders and exploring much darker territory.
Of note, is a recent extension to Tennessee’s Good Samaritan Law, which makes it legal to break into cars to rescue children on hot days. As of June, it has also been legal to rescue dogs as well. Similar laws exist in 16 other states. To nullify the possibility of chaos, specific steps, including searching for the owner and notifying law enforcement before acting, must be taken to qualify for protection under the law.