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Some states let you break windows to free overheated pets

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Massachusetts is the latest state to consider a law that would let a good samaritan break the window of a car if an overheated pet is trapped inside. 

The person would have to make an attempt to find a police officer and call 911 before breaking in.

Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin have passed similar laws

It is a misdemeanor to lock a pet in a cold or hot car in New Hampshire. However, only a law enforcement officer or agent of a licensed humane organization may break into a car to free a pet. 

Supporters of good samaritan laws point to many examples where pets have died in locked cars. In June a police K-9 in Georgia died while closed in a patrol car. 

The American Veterinary Medical Association says that the temperature inside a car rises 20 degrees in just ten minutes. 

Opponents of good samaritan laws argue that breaking into cars should be left to the police. A passerby might cause unnecessary damage without making sufficient effort to find the owner of the car.

UPDATE: Read our Citizen Voices℠ report and find out where New Hampshire stands on this issue.

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