Edmonton officials are pleading with people to stop leaving animals unattended in vehicles.
On Tuesday, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said that as of July 16, it had already responded to more of these calls than in all of July last year.
Crews have been called to 65 instances of pets or people left alone in vehicles so far this month, surpassing last July’s full-month total of 63.
“It is never safe to leave anyone in a vehicle on a hot day,” EFRS said on social media.
Acting Sgt. Olivia Rogiani, with Edmonton’s animal protection unit, said leaving an animal alone in a vehicle is not safe — for any amount of time or at any temperature.
“It’s not safe to, at any temperature, to leave your animal in a car, especially right now with the extreme weather we’re seeing this week and the following weeks in Edmonton. It’s not safe.”
She said the unit has been really busy responding to “numerous” calls about dogs left outside in the heat and dogs left in vehicles.
“It is disappointing to see this trend is continuing,” Rogiani said. “We want to urge people to be responsible pet owners and do their research before getting an animal and understand what it means to own an animal and that you are the protector of it and … you can’t allow an animal to be in distress.”
She said running the air conditioning or leaving the windows open doesn’t excuse the owner’s behaviour.
“Instead of leaving your animal outside right now or taking it in your vehicle, leaving it unattended, leave your animal at home. They’re going to be safest at home. And when they’re at home, make sure they have adequate shade, ventilation and lots of access to fresh water.”
People can be fined or charged, Rogiani said.
“It would be a charge under the Animal Protection Act of Alberta for causing an animal to be in distress, which brings charges of up to $20,000 and the possibility of a lifetime prohibition from owning animals. It can also be a Criminal Code charge.”
Edmonton police say a vehicle provides “a false sense of security.”
“It only takes seconds for a child to be put at risk. They can suffer medical distress or become victims of crime,” EPS said on its website.
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