Man’s best friend, dogs are one of the most common pets in the world. Dogs are great as emotional support, security, and general-purpose pals. It’s no surprise that there are almost 20 million more domesticated dogs than cats in the US. But any dog owner knows dogs can be a bit of work. They don’t like staying home alone but are generally discouraged from most stores and restaurants.
There aren’t many options when it comes to doing errands with our furry friends, you could try tying them up outside but you risk losing them, you could bring them with you but that only works for tiny and well-behaved dogs or you could leave your dog in the car and crack a window. We'll discuss why that's a terrible idea later.
Tesla has come to the rescue and solved this issue in the most Tesla way possible, an image on an oversized screen. We explore what Tesla’s Dog Mode is and if it actually works.
What is Tesla’s “Dog Mode?”
One of the most common ways for dog owners to go out and do their errands while also bringing their beloved pups is to simply leave them in the safety of their cars in a parking lot. That means the dogs are safe from thieves, won’t run away, and if the owner leaves the car running they can be comfortable for quick runs to the grocery store or pharmacy pickups.
Tesla the innovator looked at that situation and fixed it with a wave of their software wand. In Dog Mode, the Tesla in question will lock its doors, turn up the heat in a cold environment or turn the AC on during a hot day and a bright splash screen appears on the large 15-inch infotainment screen that says “My owner will be back soon. Don’t worry! The (heater or AC) is on and it’s (displays internal temperature).” The message is intended for anyone passing by who is concerned for the dog’s wellbeing during especially hot or cold days.
Owners should be aware of the limitations of Dog Mode. While Dog Mode is active, Tesla’s Sentry Mode will be disabled. Sentry Mode is another of Tesla’s conveniences that take the cameras that are usually used as driver safety systems and turns it into an alarm system that automatically records if it thinks a human has strayed too close to the car and might harm it. While Tesla has not explicitly stated why both Dog Mode and Sentry Mode can’t be active at the same time. Most users believe it’s because the dogs in the car will likely set off Sentry Mode and send a continuous stream of alerts to the owner’s phone every time the dog moves.
Why Do We Need This?
Leaving your dog in the safety of your car may sound like a great idea but it comes with a few dangers. The first and most dangerous aspect of leaving your furry friend in a car is overheating. Even on a relatively temperate day like temperatures in the 70s or low 80s (Fahrenheit) can cause the inside of your car to heat up very quickly. This is primarily due to a phenomenon called the greenhouse effect where sunlight can pass through glass easily but the heat is then trapped in the car.
Studies have shown that a vehicle parked in the sun for just one hour can reach temperatures of over 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the fall or spring. During the summer, temperatures can easily surpass 180 degrees Fahrenheit, more than enough to cook your hot dog. In worst-case scenarios, your dog may become dehydrated, develop heatstroke, and even die in as little as 10 minutes.
It’s difficult to tell how many pets actually die due to being left in a hot car as statistics can change from year to year but on average almost 100 pets will get heatstroke and die from being left in a car each year. Some people crack open a window to let the heat escape but most of the time, it simply isn’t enough. Unless you roll down every window all the way, eliminating the security aspect of keeping your pet in a car, the car will still heat up beyond what is safe for any pet.
In recent years, the phenomenon has become more well known and there are multiple instances where a passerby will break into a car just to free dogs from their oven prisons. Some states in the US like Indiana have even passed legislation making it legal for people to break a window if they believe a pet is in distress. To prevent that, Tesla introduced Dog Mode, a way to keep your pet cool and let others know that they’re safe.
How Well Does It Work In The Real World?
As long as the Tesla has a charge, the feature works remarkably well. Unlike traditional gasoline engine cars, Teslas can turn on the AC without turning every other feature on in the car. A gasoline engine car would have to be left running while the owner is away and not everyone is keen on wasting 20-30 minutes of gas just to keep the AC on.
So the feature does actually help prevent heatstroke related pet deaths but what about well-meaning passerby's? It’s extremely difficult if not impossible to tell when an EV is “on” and therefore people who see pets locked in cars without even a cracked window may become so concerned they shatter the windows to free your pet. Tesla does have a large message on the infotainment when Dog Mode is active alerting people not to worry but unless people are actively looking for the message they won’t know that the dog is actually safe.
Luckily, there have been very few if any reports of people breaking into Teslas to save pets in distress. But that isn’t stopping some well-meaning people from leaving passive-aggressive notes.
Whether or not the person who wrote the note noticed Dog Mode was active is unclear but many owners are still worried that a good samaritan may jump the gun, not notice the message, and smash a window anyway. So it’s probably a good idea to leave an extra note on the window just in case.