Tesla has gone to the dogs but in a good way. A recent update by the automaker's social media accounts premiers an upcoming feature: dog mode!

When activated, this special mode allows drivers to leave their car unattended while their dogs remain inside. This works through the following features.
  • The vehicle is set to a comfortable temperature
  • The large infotainment screen displays a message.
  • If the vehicle battery falls below 20 percent, the system will notify the owner's smartphone.
The new mode isn't live yet, however. According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, "It will start out slow to make sure there are no corner case issues and then, if that looks good, speed up next week. We def need to add a “Request Latest Update” feature!"

This is an effective solution to the long-running issue of animal safety. Over time, there have been countless reports of people leaving pets, or even children, in their vehicles during extremely cold or hot days, endangering their lives. There are also a number of cases where someone left the car running with air conditioning, and someone broke their car windows to "rescue" a dog that wasn't actually in danger.

Now all I need is a dog... and a Tesla.