RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, domestic animals have provided companionship to people for a millennia, providing many benefits to their families such as love, loyalty, and an improved sense of well-being; and,
WHEREAS, many pet owners mistakenly believe an animal can be left comfortably or safely in an unattended motor vehicle without proper ventilation; and
WHEREAS, cars heat up quickly, even with the windows down; on a 72 degree day, a car's internal temperature can heat up to 116 degrees within an hour, and on an 80 degree day, a car's internal temperature can shoot up to a sweltering 99 degrees in just 10 minutes; and
WHEREAS, pets have a higher body temperature than humans and mostly cool themselves through panting, and humidity of just 35 percent can slow or shut down their ability to evaporate moisture and control their body temperature; and
WHEREAS, every year, thousands of our companion animals succumb to heatstroke in hot, unattended vehicles; and
WHEREAS, there are times that concerned citizens and law enforcement cannot locate the car's owner in time to take the necessary steps to keep the animal safe and pets suffer injury and even needless, agonizing death; and,
WHEREAS, if all reasonable measures have been taken, civilians should be empowered to save the life of an animal left unattended without fearing civil liability for their actions; therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Mayor and members of the Chicago City Council, assembled here this twenty-eight day of March, 2018, urge the Members of the Illinois General Assembly keep Illinois pets safe by passing "Good Samaritan" civilian liability laws to protect those individuals that seek to save a life of an animal in distress after reasonable attempts to remedy the situation have failed; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be shared with the leadership of both houses of the Illinois General Assembly for their consideration. —' -n