Can You Smash A Window To Save A Dog In Michigan?

While we may not have it for long, here in Michigan, we know heat. We get the kind of brutal summer days that turn your steering wheel into a branding iron for your palms. So what happens when you spot an innocent pup locked inside a sweltering Meijer parking lot?

Your gut, like mine, may say, "Break the window and save the dog!", but not so fast. Michigan's laws may not have your back.

Does Michigan Law Protect Good Samaritans?

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According to Michigan State University's Animal Legal and Historical Center there are 31 states that have laws that either "prohibit leaving an animal in a confined vehicle under dangerous conditions" or protect the person who breaks the window to save it. I was shocked to learn that Michigan isn't one of them.

But then, I thought, maybe as you did, breaking a window to save a life must be protected under some type of Good Samaritan Law. Sadly, Michigan has no such law.

Consequences?

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Technically, in Michigan, if you were to save Lassie, Chance, Shadow, Santa's Little Helper, and Pluto from certain death by breaking a car window, you could face breaking and entering, destruction of property, and other fun charges that will result in you needing a lawyer who is better than the jerk's that locked an animal in a car oven.

So long as your lawyer can prove that the vehicle owner's act violated Michigan's animal cruelty laws, you should be ok. Bonus points: Find Law says if you took pictures or video showing that the animal was in peril, you'll likely need that if the case goes to court.