Speaking of dogs in hot cars (in another thread), Ikea has created a garage of sorts, where owners can leave their dogs, so they don't have to stay in hot vehicles. I am not sure I'd feel comfortable leaving my cats in what appears to be an unattended section like this, and they're scared of dogs anyway, but it could be better than leaving them in a hot vehicle. http://pets.people.com/pets/article/0,,20939336,00.html
I'm overprotective (with good reason in this neighborhood), and wouldn't be able to leave my animals unattended in a garage or other facility like that, but I'm sure it's better than leaving them in the hot car. As a bonus, there are people who aren't able to have animals where they live (at least here...I'm not sure about Cologne, Germany), and they could probably stop by there and get their fill, while giving the dogs some love and affection, while they wait for their owners to shop.
I wouldn't leave my dog, he wouldn't be happy...besides he'd bark the whole time. I just never take him shopping with me...he stays at home with the A/C on. He's much happier.
When 2 of our dogs were still puppies, we inquired with a trainer for possible obedience lessons because our puppies were both unruly at 6 months of age. Jenny is the owner of the dog school which is located in an upscale commercial center so you can imagine the cost of their services. We are willing to spend for that. However, Jenny wanted our puppies to undergo orientation of 10 days. The arrangement would be like a day-care where we bring our puppies by 8am and pick them up by 5pm. There's no training involved, just getting the puppies to be familiarized with the surroundings? My husband smirked. It's highway robbery, he said. But my concern is not the money. It is our puppies who I'm sure would be lonely sitting in those cages for 8 hours or so and for 10 days at that. Whenever we bring along our dogs in the car, there is always a caretaker. I don't have the heart to leave the dogs in the car by themselves especially when the weather is hot.