Staff
Three recent separate reports of dogs being left inside vehicles on warm days, including one reported to police by The Meaford Independent after two concerned visitors to Meaford attended our office to inform of a dog inside a car parked at the Nelson and Sykes Street intersection on Thursday (July 9) afternoon, have prompted Grey County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to issue a reminder to residents as to the dangers of doing so.
The temperature in a parked car, even in the shade with the windows partly open, can rapidly reach a level that will seriously harm or even kill your pet.
With only hot air to breathe, a dog’s normal cooling process – panting – doesn’t work. A dog can withstand internal body temperatures of 40 degrees celsius for only a few minutes before heatstroke, brain damage or even death occurs. The older or more vulnerable the animal, the more susceptible they are.
It is against the law to leave a pet unattended in a parked vehicle in a manner that endangers the health or safety of the animal and the owner may face criminal charges.
A hot car is no place for a pet. When it’s hot outside, keep your dog at home with access to shade and lots of fresh water.
Learn more …..
http://ottawahumane.ca/your-pets/toohot.cfm
http://www.dogsafe.ca/heatstrokeresponder.html
Fortunately, Grey County OPP note that none of the dogs in cars reported to police were in distress. The next dog left in a hot car might not be so lucky.
