Province plans consultations on helping pets left in hot cars

KELOWNA – It’s a warning that has been repeated countless times in the media. Pet owners are often reminded not to leave their animals in hot cars and those that do put their animals at risk could be penalized.

“Careless owners who expose pets to excessive heat and/or deprive them of adequate ventilation can be charged under the B.C. government’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,” says the Ministry of Agriculture in a press release.

However, neither the possible penalties nor the public warnings seem to have stopped the practice. The B.C. SPCA says this summer it has already received more reports about the issue than it did last year.

“B.C. SPCA has received more than 1,200 calls about animals left in hot vehicles this summer, and that number is on the rise, and already
higher than the approximately 1,100 calls the SPCA responded to in 2014,” says Marcie Moriarty of the B.C. SPCA.

Now the province is pledging to hold consultations “to increase the options to rescue animals that have been left in cars and are suffering heat related distress.”

The province plans to wrap up consultations and have any new practices implemented in time for next summer.