Despite being left in a sweltering car for more than two hours in Squamish, a dog has been given back to its owners.
The dog was discovered inside the car parked at the Sea to Sky Gondola on Wednesday afternoon around 1:30 p.m.
The dog was rescued by animal control and the RCMP at approximately 3:30 p.m.
Witnesses say animal services found the internal temperature of the car to be 40 C. The dog was also wearing a diaper.
The owners of the dog are likely to be hit with a $300 fine by Squamish Animal Control but it’s unlikely they will be charged in the incident. The BC SPCA could recommend charges but there is not much precedent for them to be approved unless the dog was killed or seriously hurt.
“Unfortunately, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act says the only recourse is to recommend charges and what we’ve seen is charges are typically only accepted in situations where the animal dies or there’s evidence of suffering,” said Marcie Moriarty, the BC SPCA’s chief prevention and enforcement officer.
-With files from Jon Azpiri