Michael Jordan ‘the dog, not the basketball guy’ rescued from hot car in Colorado
A German shepherd pup named Michael Jordan is looking for a new home after he was rescued from a hot car in Colorado, officials said.
The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs shared the heartbreaking details of the dog’s ordeal in a July 17 Facebook post that rescuers wrote from his perspective.
“It was so hot in that car,” the post said. “At first, it felt kinda nice, like when you find the perfect sunny spot on the carpet and you curl up and sigh real big. But then it got hotter. And hotter. And then… it wasn’t nice anymore.”
The post then goes on to describe the symptoms of heat stroke in dogs from the pup’s point of view.
“The air stopped moving, and my paws felt funny, and it got hard to breathe,” the post said. “I tried barking for help, and panting, and moving around, but everything felt sticky and heavy. I got really scared. Then I got really tired.”
Luckily, someone spotted the dog struggling inside the hot car.
“They made a phone call and then a lady came,” the post says. “She was an officer from Animal Law Enforcement and she opened the door and picked me up and said, ‘Oh, baby… you’re okay now.’”
The car’s dashboard was 118 degrees Fahrenheit, the humane society said.
“And the back seat, where I was, was 107,” the post said.
The officer moved the dog to the animal control truck with the air conditioning on, and gave the pup cold water to drink, the humane society says. A photo shows the 1-year-old pup inside the kennel in the truck immediately after the rescue.
“She let me drink as much as I wanted, and I felt like a whole new pup,” the post says. “I even gave her a little tail wag. It was a tired one, but it was my best.”
Now, Michael Jordan the dog is at the humane society “waiting for a new home,” the organization says. A photo shows the pup posing with a dog bone bandana tied around his neck.
His adoption page says the pup is “super friendly with strangers and loves attention.”
“He’ll happily be your shadow if you let him,” the bio says. “If you’re looking for an affectionate, fun-loving dog who just needs a little structure to thrive, Michael Jordan could be your MVP!”
But while he’s still at the shelter, the pup is helping his “friends at Animal Law Enforcement talk to you about hot cars.”
“‘Cause I’m one of the lucky ones,” the post says. “Because the truth is, dogs like me can die in hot cars. It doesn’t even have to be super hot outside. Even when it’s just 75 degrees, a car can turn into a little oven in less than 30 minutes. Cracking a window doesn’t help.”
The post recognizes that dog owners don’t always have “bad intentions” when they leave their dogs in the car. But regardless of intention, “leaving a dog in a hot car is considered criminally negligent,” the humane society says.
“It’s really serious. So please, if you love your dog and you can’t take them inside with you, let them stay home,” the post says. “We’ll wait. We’ll be good. We’ll wag our tails when you come back.”
Anyone who spots a dog inside a hot car should call Animal Law Enforcement at 719-302-8798, “or 911 if the dog is unconscious or really sick,” the post says.
“You might be the only one who notices,” the post says. “You might be the one who saves them. Like someone saved me.”
The letter is signed: “Love, Michael Jordan (the dog, not the basketball guy).”
