Kelowna Mounties rescued a dog trapped in a sweltering hot car Wednesday night and slapped its owner with a fine.
The dog was found just after 5 p.m. in the 100 block of Sunset Drive, Const. Mike Della-Paolera said, adding that by the time police arrived the ambient temperature was 30 C and the in-car temperature was 40 C.
The dog was unresponsive.
“The dog was obviously in distress from the heat, officers arrived and immediately determined that they needed to get into the vehicle to save the dog’s life,” Della-Paolera said.
“(They broke) the driver’s side window and removed the dog providing it with water and actually saving the dog’s life.”
The SPCA arrived on the scene and issued a $100 fine to the owner for the endangerment of an animal’s life.
Della-Paolera said that calling the police is the right thing to do in a circumstance where a dog in distress is witnessed, rather than taking matters into one’s own hands.
“Members of the public should not be breaking windows. I know we want to but really leave it to the police or a police officer,” he said.
“We have the authority to enter the vehicle and remove the dog that was in distress.”
Saving dogs not be an issue that comes to mind when people consider policing duties but Della-Paolera said the local police force takes it seriously and many have seen the worst-case scenarios play out.
“I was in Surrey, somebody called us and I broke a window and we got the dog out. Before I could load (the dog) into my car where it was air-conditioned, it expired,” he said. “It was traumatic for me, I was very upset about it because I’m a dog lover. Literally, I was carrying the dog to try to get into my vehicle and it died. So it’s very upsetting.”
Della-Paolera said that one of these calls comes in every couple of weeks during peak temperatures and it’s on dog owners to know what to do in those circumstances.
For a dog, harmful and even life-threatening effects can occur in a short time in a hot car. Dogs can’t release heat by sweating, as humans do, so their internal body temperature rises more quickly.
“Leave your animals at home. They’re much happier. Give them fresh water, keep them in a cool house but don’t bring them out,” he said. “It’s even hard on their feet walking across our asphalt surfaces … Think of your dog as part of your family and what they need best to live their best life.”
The BC SPCA said that anyone who sees an animal in distress in a parked vehicle should note the license plate, vehicle colour, make and model and ask managers of nearby businesses to page the owner to return to their vehicle immediately.
If the animal is not showing signs of distress but a person is concerned, they may wish to stay by the vehicle to monitor the situation until the owner returns.
If the animal is showing clear signs of heatstroke or other distress symptoms, people should call their local animal control agency, police, RCMP or the BC SPCA Animal Helpline at 1-855-622-7722 as soon as possible.
The BC SPCA has a limited number of constables – if one is not available in the area the Animal Helpline can advise of other emergency numbers to call so that help will arrive as quickly as possible.