Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill that allows Californians to rescue animals trapped in hot cars without fear of prosecution.
The bill, signed on Saturday, lets citizens smash car windows to set the pets free as long as there is no other way to rescue them. That means rescuers can break into the car if the animal appears to be in peril, the car is locked and law enforcement is not arriving quickly enough.
The rescuer must stay at the scene until law enforcement respond to the situation. Dog owners, but more importantly dog lovers like Sherri Maloff and Ed Jenkins, are in full support of the bill.
You can tell which dog belongs to Sherri right away. Lipstick, a poodle dyed pink, matches the pink lipstick Sherri often wears and the pink in her clothing. Sherri even has a business card for her and Lipstick's voluntary visits to retirement homes.
"Yes we are frou-frou girls and we're proud of it," Sherri said.
Other dog-human pairs aren't as obvious, but that doesn't take away the special bond.
"The connection with [Bailey] is not dog and owner. It's almost like he's my son or little brother," Ed said.
Both Lipstick and Bailey are service dogs, each with a very special meaning to their humans. Both got teary-eyed talking about how much their dogs meant to them.
"When my husband was on his last chapter, [Lipstick] was so aware of everything that was happening," Sherri said. [My husband and I] were together for 30 years. She's been my companion ever since."
"This little one's my life. I love this little guy," Ed said. "Yeah I'll take a window out."
Ed said he hates seeing animals stuck in cars, panting for air, even calling it his "pet peeve."
Sherri said dogs are four legged humans with hearts that dog owners need to realize how much they suffer when kept in a car on a hot day.
Sherri and Ed both enjoyed a day at the park with their dogs over hot dogs, something they say is much better than a hot dog trapped in a car.
The bill was introduced after a series of incidents in which dogs died after being left in closed cars on hot days.