It was an average day for Hollie Lee, lab technician in the College of Veterinary medicine, when she saw it.
Lee said she was in the parking lot of a local business when she saw a dog in the backseat of a car in heat distress. She called the police and waited for them to arrive. However, she wondered what would happen if others didn't know what to do in that situation.
Lee teamed up with Sharron Barney, cardio research technician in the College of Veterniary Medicine, to launch the Beat the Heat, Check the Backseat campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of leaving children and pets in cars.
"It's concern about the animals, but primarily, really concerned about leaving kids in the car," Barney said.
Lee said large amounts of saliva and heavy panting are indicators of heat distress, but leaving animals in a closed car is never acceptable.
Barney said leaving children and pets in cars is a "life and death" issue.
"We just want to help somebody that doesn't have a voice," Barney said. "We don't want to see any more headlines about children being left in cars."
Lee said it takes 10 minutes for a car to change 20 degrees, and cracking the windows does not help the temperature inside the car.
Lee and Barney said they originally wanted decals that would change colors in different temperatures, but that was not in their budget.
"I think we were trying to figure out a way to get the most attention and to get the word out as quickly and effectively as we could," Lee said.
Barney said a car decal was the natural way to do that, because they are dealing with people and animals being left in cars.
Lee said the campaign was sponsored by the Staff Council and funded by the Concessions Board, which allocates money to improve life for faculty, staff students and the community at Auburn, according to its website.
Barney said the campaign is a "collective effort" to get the message out. She said the Office of Outreach helped design the decal and flyers and the Office of Communication and Marketing helped get the word out.
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones has supported the campaign. He said people should pay attention with their children and pets.
"It's all about awareness," Jones said.
Jones said this issue is especially dangerous in the South, because of the heat.
"Just don't subject anyone to that kind of circumstance," Jones said.
Lee and Barney said local incidents have helped them see the need for awareness.
"If we can change the fate of one animal or one child, it's completely worth it," Lee said.
Barney said the four things to do if someone sees an unattended child or animal in a car is to call the police, get the car's information, notify the nearest business to find the car owners and stay with the vehicle until help arrives.
Decals can be found at the Auburn University Bookstore and the Auburn and Opelika Chambers of Commerce. Donation checks to print more decals can be made out to and mailed to the Auburn University Foundation, with "Staff Council educational campaigns" in the memo.
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