DOG’S DEATH A REMINDER
It’s summer in Calgary, and that means one thing: dogs left in hot cars. The latest incident resulted in a dog dying after being left for an untold amount of time in a vehicle during the city’s crushing heat wave.
The female black lab was left in a car in the city’s northeast on July 9, when temperatures outside soared to 31 C. Inside the car, it would have been significantly higher, according to the Calgary Humane Society.
She basically cooked to death. That’s the gruesome description offered up by Brad Nichols, the society’s senior manager of cruelty investigations. It’s a horrifying image to go along with an equally horrifying death for the dog. But perhaps that’s the kind of imagery needed to hammer home the point to pet owners.
While this is one of the worst cases they’ve seen, the humane society, along with city animal control, police and fire, respond to hundreds of calls about pets left in vehicles every summer. Just one day after the lab’s story was reported, there were two more reports of dogs left in vehicles. Most incidents end this way, with someone noticing and officials intervening before any serious damage is done.
Often, it’s an honest mistake. The owner had their hands full with kids or groceries and meant to go back for the dog but forgot. But even those with good intentions are disregarding the safety of the family pet by hauling it around on sunny summer days. A five-minute trip can become 35 minutes.
Two years ago, a Postmedia columnist tested the limits of endurance by sitting in a car, in July, when it was 26 C outside. Within 10 minutes, the temperature inside had risen to 31 C. After an hour, she couldn’t think straight, was sweating profusely (which dogs can’t do to help cool down), and could barely move. The temperature inside the car was 52 C.
No one knows for sure how long the poor lab in Calgary was in the vehicle. The cause of death was hyperthermia — elevated body temperature. Her owner has been charged with causing an animal to be in distress, which, if convicted, bears a hefty maximum fine of $20,000 and a lifetime ban on owning animals.
Responsible pet owners don’t intend to harm their animals and this person may be going through their own personal hell after finding their beloved pet dead. There’s no need to pile on the guilt and shame. But we need to keep the issue front and centre in people’s minds, especially as Calgary continues to bask in high 20s temperatures.
Pets can’t handle this heat and, honestly, they really don’t need to go to the hairdresser, the library, the grocery store or the mall. Yes, they might miss their owner for the time they’re gone, but they’ll be happier and healthier if left at home. At the very least, they’ll be alive.