K9 officer rescues dog left in hot car; owner charged
Hamilton police canine officer Kevin Willson and his dog partner, Jake, came to the assistance of another dog on Saturday that had been left in a hot car.
Temperatures were rising past the 30 C mark when police got a call from a concerned citizen about the dog having been left inside a locked car for an extended period of time.
Willson answered the call in the parking lot outside the FreshCo grocery store at 869 Barton St. E. just after 12:30 p.m. to find the large mixed-breed dog inside the car, panting heavily and showing signs of distress.
The officer started to feed the dog water through a four-inch cracked window opening when the owner returned from the store and found Willson attending to the dog.
The owner was charged under the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act for permitting an animal to be in distress.
Although the dog had been left in the car approximately 15 minutes, police are
stressing to the community that parked cars can quickly reach deadly temperatures, even if the car is parked in the shade and the windows are open.
Police are reminding the public that dogs have a limited ability to sweat, so even a short time in a hot environment can be life-threatening.
Police are also asking people to leave their pets at home on hot days.