Kids, pets in hot vehicles focus of Hot Car Awareness Day

How hot can it get inside a car? Dangerously and literally, dog-gone hot, an event in Winnipeg Saturday is aiming to show.

The Dog Adoption MB and Save a Dog Network Canada is organizing the event Saturday at the Pet Valu on Reenders Drive

The goal of 'Hot Car Awareness Day' is to persuade people why neither children nor pets should be left in vehicles on hot days.

Organizer Lynda Miller said it's hard to understand why it keeps happening.

"I don't know if it's just people get caught up in their daily lives or just don't think they are going to be in a business for too long, or what the reason is," she said. "But we need to be putting the awareness out there, as a reminder if nothing better, just to make people aware of what is happening and shouldn't be happening but it is happening."

A vehicle was on hand for people to sit in and see for themselves how quickly it can get too hot.

Organizers also collected donations to help pay for signs offered for free to businesses to post in their parking lot.

Anybusiness that wants one can contactSave a Dog Network Canada or Dog Adoption MB.

Katie Powell with Save a Dog Network Canada said signs reminding people of the danger could give pets a voice.

"There's no one advocating for these animals," she said. "There is no one who can say, hey listen, I'm too hot. These dogs can't open the window or get out of the vehicle."

Powell saidthe best thing to do is leave your pet at home on a hot day.

The event ran from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.