Police are urging people once again to not leave their animals unattended in hot cars.
The SPCA along with police and fire departments receive numerous emergency calls reporting animals left every summer.
While pet owners may think it’s safe to leave their pet inside their cars for a short while to run errands, the extreme heat B.C. experiences can lead pets to suffer from heatstroke and become very ill.
“Our front-line officers are often stretched thin responding to, and investigating serious incidents, and may not be able to attend to these 'hot dog' reports as quickly as required,” Penticton RCMP Const. James Grandy said in a press release.
Even though officers would like to assist as quickly as possible, it may not always be possible to do so.
Within a few minutes, the temperature inside a parked car can reach dangerous levels, and lead to irrevocable damage to their health.
“If you think you’ll have to be in and out of your vehicle often, your dog may feel much better staying home with water and shade,” Grandy said.
For more information, visit the BC SPCA website for summer pet safety tips.
If you see an animal already in distress in a hot vehicle, contact your local police, RCMP, animal control agency or the BC SPCA call centre at 1-855-622-7722.
