Regarding Doris Wrench Eisler, the infamous “dog cooker”: Assuming Doris has properly tested her method for storing her dog in a hot car and the temperatures do stay within a safe range, I see absolutely no problem with what she is doing.

Yes, cars can get dangerously hot in the summer. This is why Doris has taken extra precautions to ensure her dog’s safety. There is no need for Doris to leave her dog at home when it would prefer to come along and wait in a safe, cool crate, and it would be inappropriate to rescue the dog in such a situation.

Regarding letter writer Neil Miller's comments, the ice won't magically melt more quickly one day. Doris has tested her system and I'm quite sure has the common sense to know that, even though the rate at which the ice melts will vary under different temperature conditions – the melting of ice is really quite predictable. I also don't expect she plans things so that all the ice has just finished melting by the time she returns to her car after an hour and a half.

To Doris, I'd suggest putting a small thermometer in the crate. This would not only allow you to monitor the temperature inside the crate more easily, but also provide strong evidence that your method was indeed safe to anyone who questioned you. Alternatively, you could help verify the crate’s safety by sitting in it yourself under the same conditions. Additionally, you could place an extra bag of ice wrapped in a towel or blanket to provide the dog something cool to cuddle up against, if he’s feeling especially warm. Don’t forget to provide the dog water to drink in his crate as well.

Regardless of the dog’s safety, the clerk and peace officer were absolutely out of place when berating Doris openly in public. They should have discussed any issues they had with her privately and in a civilized manner.

Finally, because I have not tested this method for storing a dog, I cannot definitively verify or falsify its safety myself and only have Doris’ word to go by. If a thermometer were to show unreasonably high temperatures, even after all safety precautions have been taken, it would obviously not be safe for a dog.

Matthew Karall, St. Albert

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