It is a message that is delivered time and time again yet pet owners continue putting their animals in potentially dangerous situations.
“Last year 174 calls just in Kelowna that were dispatched through our office,” Kelowna SPCA manager Seam Hogan said.
Hogan is referring to calls about animals, in most cases dogs, being left in cars during the hot summer months.
With the numbers so high, the BC SPCA together with Kelowna RCMP and Regional District of the Central Okanagan launched an awareness campaign Wednesday afternoon.
Called “Hot Pets, Not Cool”, the campaign urges people to think twice before leaving their pet in a hot car.
“To assume it won’t happen to my pet I think is a big mistake,” Hogan said. “The fact is a tragic event can happen really within minutes.”
The SPCA says a parked car even in the shade with partly open windows can rapidly reach a level high enough to seriously harm or kill an animal. As an example, a 26 degree day outside can feel like 43 degrees inside after only 20 minutes.
RCMP say they take the matter seriously,getting hundreds of calls every year and they respond when it’s warranted.
While it may be tempting, breaking a window to free an animal in distress is illegal and could result in charges.
“Ultimately they could potentially face charges,” Kelowna RCMP Cpl.Jesse O’Donaghey said. “And then again they must be very considerate of the civil liabilities they may place themselves in.”
RCMP say the best thing to do if you spot an animal in distress is to try and locate the owner, even having them paged by nearby stores, record the information about the vehicle and call the SPCA.
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