Summer is here and unfortunately, people still leave their dog in a hot car.
The Guelph Humane Society already received a few calls in the past week and issued one ticket after a dog locked in a car suffered a heat stroke.
“There's no excuse for a dog being left in a vehicle for really any duration of time unattended,” said Ben Worthington, manager of animal services at the GHS.
“Leave the dog at home, leave it with friends if you need to.”
The GHS is able to issue a ticket to pet owners if they cause their pet distress.
Last year, the GHS issued a total of 16 tickets for pets left in cars. Worthington said most of the pets were dogs with the odd one being a cat.
“We definitely get a surplus of calls when there is a heat warning in the summer. And we get the odd call here and there for the winter calls,” said Worthington adding that on average, the GHS received four calls a month last summer.
“A dog in a car situation can turn lethal very quickly.”
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a dog can die in a hot car in as little as six minutes.
Worthington shared an example of an experiment where a raw egg is placed on a car dashboard in the heat. The egg rapidly turns white in response to a chemical reaction to the proteins breaking down in the egg.
“So similarly, that same situation happens to an animal’s brain which is made up of protein matter. And that’s where it can turn very lethal very quickly,” said Worthington.
He said an animal can be in serious mental distress within 15 minutes of being confined in a car on a hot day.
Unlike humans who sweat and cool down in response to hot temperatures, dogs rely on their vascular lung system to cool down.
When the air around them is hot, they aren’t able to cool themselves down.
“When they’re breathing in and out, they’re limiting their ability to regulate temperature,” said Worthington.
He said if anyone locally does find an animal in a hot car, their immediate response should be to call 911.
“Make note of the vehicle, make model, license plate as well as the time when the dog was noticed in the car,” said Worthington.
He also added that members of the public do not have the authority to alleviate a pet in distress. Only police and provincial animal services are allowed to intervene in such a situation.
GHS only issues bylaw charges after the incident.
