The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Written by my lovely wife, Jennifer and me.  It opens with the weekend dog walking forecast followed by the main blog from dog lover, Jennifer. Then it’s DOGS IN THE NEWS and our close. Enjoy!

THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.

TODAY:    Partly cloudy. High of 70. “A”

SUNDAY:  Sunny in the morning. Partly cloudy in the afternoon. High of 66. “A”

Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog.

Regular readers of The Barking Lot know that every summer without fail, I write about a topic that in no uncertain terms INFURIATES me.  You guessed it:  I write about the irresponsibility and stupidity of dog owners who leave their pets in a hot car.  I know you can’t fix stupid.  Still, I try to do my part by educating readers and reminding them of what should be obvious… dogs and cars don’t mix well in the summer months.

I can’t tolerate the lack of brains in an average dog owner.  What about dog “handlers” that should know above-and-beyond better than anyone about the dangers leaving their OWN dogs in cars?  Dog “handlers” as in K9 police officers.

Before I go any further I need to state that I am a proud and staunch supporter of our law enforcement officials.  I think that what has happened to the men & women in blue these past few years is a disgrace, and I wholeheartedly thank them for risking their lives for our safety and well-being.

Generally speaking, I know that K9 officers regard their four-legged partners as just that:  a partner.  They are far more than a piece of disposable equipment.  I’ve read many stories about officers adopting their dogs for home pets after they’ve retired.  There can be a bond between an officer and dog like none other.  Their relationships equal those of soldiers and war dogs.

So if that is how K9 units are supposed to function how on earth could police officers, of all people, leave their dog in a hot car?  Not just for minutes while they perform some task in the line of duty but for HOURS?  How can they forget their other half and return several hours later to find that poor defenseless animal dead from heat-related injuries?

I don’t have any sort of solution for this predicament.  If the average citizen is supposed to call 9-1-1 and then shatter a window to save a dog in visible distress what is an OFFICER supposed to do when he or she comes to their squad car to find their own partner down?  How does this happen even once, but how on earth can it escalate?  I wish I had an answer.

And to repeat, Wisconsin law provides that a person is immune from civil liability for property damage or injury that results from his or her forcible entry into a vehicle if a person or domestic animal was present in the vehicle and the actor had a good faith belief that the person or animal was in imminent danger of suffering bodily harm unless he or she exited or was removed from the vehicle.

Under Wisconsin law, the immunity applies if the actor: (1) determined that the vehicle was locked and that forcible entry was necessary to enable the actor to enter the vehicle or to enable the person or animal to be removed from or exit the vehicle; (2) dialed “911” or otherwise contacted law enforcement, emergency medical services (EMS), or animal control before he or she forcibly entered the vehicle; (3) remained with the person or animal until a law enforcement officer, EMS provider, animal control officer, or other first responder arrived at the scene; (4) used no more force than he or she reasonably believed necessary to enter the vehicle; and (5) placed a notice with certain information on the vehicle’s windshield if the actor left the scene before the vehicle’s owner or operator returned to the scene.
—Jennifer Fischer

Thanks, Jennifer!

Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.

He shot a dog while campaigning for his wife and now he gets to face a judge.

Veteran travels cross country to get service dog medical procedure.

Hounding someone with a service dog? There could soon be a fine for that in NJ.

Funeral homes turning to therapy dogs to comfort mourners.

Fort Atkinson memorializes war dogs and one of its own.

Service dogs that help veterans with PTSD inspire book, ‘A Dog Like Daisy.’

10-years after Trooper saved dog, it’s still part of the family.

Your dog could call 911 in an emergency: Here’s how.

In the event a marriage needs some spark…

This dog is hard of hearing, but easy to love.

Remember Eclipse from Seattle? We’ve got an update.

Why can’t more dogs go to…the beach?