Dogs died after pet-sitter left them in hot car
APET-SITTER has been handed a suspended prison sentence after two dogs she was caring for died when they were left in a car on a warm day.
The two French bulldogs – Lila and Phab – were found dead in an unattended vehicle used by Janine Maloney on September 5, 2021.
Maloney, from Bridgend, ran a commercial dog-walking and pet-sitting business named Pet Patrol Club and was looking after the dogs between September 3 and 5.
A post-mortem examination carried out on the dogs indicated they had died of heat stroke/stress.
The owner described Lila and Phab as her “soul companions” and added that it was the first time she had left them with anyone.
The owner, who has not been named, said: “It has been horrendous. I have nightmares about what they would have gone through. I trusted this person. I just don’t want other people and animals to go through this.
“I would like to thank the RSPCA for all their support and I would also like to thank the community for their support as well.”
In a statement from the RSPCA, Deputy Chief Inspector (DCI) Gemma Black said she met the owner of the two dogs, who was “very emotional about what had happened”.
DCI Black added: “She [the owner] told me that Ms Malone had returned to her address on Sunday, the 5th of September, 2021, with the dogs dead. She told me that Ms Malone claimed to have left them in the car during the Sunday, during hot weather, and she believed this was how they died.”
Temperatures locally that day ranged from 160C at 10am to 220C at 5pm – the dogs died sometime within this timeframe.
In written evidence from a vet, they believed that Lila and Phab “have been caused to suffer” and their needs “have not been met to the extent required by good practice”.
The evidence described how the two dogs had been left in the car without any access to water, with no windows open or air conditioning.
The statement added: “The postmortem evidence showed that both dogs were found to have pathology changes consistent with having died via a mechanism of heat stroke/ stress, having a number of haemorrhagic areas in the body.
“Both dogs were French Bulldogs having a shortened nose anatomy (brachycephalic) that had also been affected by Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS). They were also both overweight which likely contributed to their susceptibility to heat stress.
“Undoubtedly the two dogs would have suffered as a consequence of excessive heat in the car under the circumstances of an external environmental temperature above 200C, poor ventilation and no access to water.”
In mitigation the court heard that Maloney had closed down the business, is a carer for an elderly relative and said it was a tragic mistake.
The District Judge, however, said there was a “blatant lack of care” and on the day she did nothing and didn’t check on the dogs.
Speaking after sentencing, DCI Black said: “Our message is simple: never leave a dog in a hot car, and if you see a dog in a hot car, call 999.”
Maloney, of Maesteg Road, Bridgend, was handed a 16-week suspended prison sentence at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Monday after previously pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to two female French bulldogs by failing to adequately ensure that they were provided with reasonable care and supervision once enclosed in a vehicle in circumstances adverse to their health and well-being, and secondly – that she failed to meet the needs of the two dogs.