KELOWNA — The Kelowna SPCA says it has already received several phone calls about dogs being left in hot cars. Staff in the Global Okanagan newsroom unfortunately had to make one of those calls. Shortly after 10 a.m. on Friday, Global Okanagan staff heard dogs barking just outside the newsroom and discovered two small dogs left in a vehicle alone. Though some of the windows were slightly rolled down, the dogs were showing signs of distress. Before the SPCA had arrived, the owner of the vehicle came back to the car apologizing for what he had done.
“My dogs are like my kids,” said the owner. “I was just going to quickly grab something from someone and we just got talking and one thing lead to another and it’s my fault but I will never keep the dogs in the car if it’s sunny because I know how it feels.”
The parking meter in front of the vehicle where the dogs were left had nearly 30 minutes of time on it when Global Okanagan staff discovered the canines. The owner returned shortly before the time on the meter ran out.
“I won’t do that again and I won’t bring my dogs with me,” he said before driving away.
According to the BC SPCA, within minutes of being left in a vehicle on a hot day, a pet could be in trouble.
“If the dog is up and moving around in the car, we urge people to take some proactive steps to try to determine the location of the owner as this may be the fastest way of getting the dog some relief,” states Marcie Moriarty, Chief Prevention and Enforcement Officer of BC SPCA. “However, tragedy can occur in less than 10 minutes so if the animal is exhibiting signs of distress and an owner cannot be located, the authorities need to be called in.”
If you see a dog left in a hot car alone, you are asked to report it to the BC SPCA’s toll-free animal cruelty hotline at 1-855-622-7722.
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