With tears in his eyes, owner who left 3 dogs to die in hot car is face of RSPCA campaign
A DOG owner prosecuted for leaving three dogs to cook to death in his hot car has joined forces with the RSPCA to raise awareness of the problem.
Jonathan Theobald abandoned his Staffordshire bull terriers for five hours while he went to the gym.
He said he thought nothing of leaving them as it was overcast – but temperatures inside his car soared to 40C (104F).
Daisy, Rascal and Mitch were left with no water or ventilation and tried to claw their way out of the Volkswagen estate as they slowly cooked and had seizures.
When Mr Theobald returned, Rascal and Mitch were dead and Daisy was ‘floppy’. He tried to resuscitate her but she later died too.
Now, almost a year on from their deaths last June, the 66-year-old has spoken out for the first time in a hard-hitting video for the RSPCA.
With tears in his eyes, he told the camera: ‘I got it badly wrong. I misjudged the weather very badly.
‘I’ve been prosecuted, I’ve been banned from keeping dogs and there’s been ferocious publicity but that’s just rubbing salt in the wounds ... The main hurt is losing the dogs in the first place.
‘The house feels painfully empty, we don’t have dogs now and that’s my fault. My carelessness killed them.’ The video is part of the RSPCA’sCars their campaign. emergencyannual The Dogs hotline charityDie receivedin saidHot more than 7,000 calls about animals in hot places last year.
The number is worryingly high especially as the charity advises people to call 999 not their hotline. Mr Theobald, from Peterbor- ough, pleaded guilty in September to causing unnecessary suffering to dogs and was given an 18-week jail sentence, suspended for two years. He was also banned from keeping pets for ten years and told to pay £1,900 in fines and costs.
RSPCA inspector Justin Stubbs, who investigated his dogs’ deaths, said: ‘I really hope that people will use this tragic tale as a reminder of the real danger you could be putting your dog in.
‘Nobody believes it will happen to them – Jonathan didn’t think it would happen to him. Our message has been clear for years: don’t leave dogs alone in parked cars on warmcar can days.’ become The dangerouslyRSPCA warns hota very quickly, even when it doesn’t feel that warm. When it’s 22C (71.6F) outside, it can reach 47C (116.6F) in a car within an hour.
As well as calling 999, it advises people to take photos or videos of animals they are worried about.
‘My carelessness killed them’