Because dogs can only cool themselves by panting and by sweating through their paw pads, a closed, hot car can be like an oven, allowing little ventilation and suffocating heat. The recent death of a Conyers K-9 service dog, left for hours in a hot car, has served as a stark reminder to police and civilians that a dog can die of heat exhaustion if left in a car on a hot summer day in less than 15 minutes. “Imagine standing outside in a fur coat,” said Holly Cripps, executive director of We Ride to Provide, “that’s what a dog is doing.”