Dogs left in cars: owners will be prosecuted warns SPCA

The Garden Route SPCA has again been called to rescue numerous dogs left in cars.

A husky was found in a car last week in a life-threatening situation.

GR SPCA manager Frieda Jansen van Rensburg has warned that animal owners found leaving their pets in cars will be prosecuted under The Animal Protection Act No 71 of 1962. Never leave your pet in a parked car no matter how hot or cool the weather. It is against the law and potentially deadly for your pet. Even with the windows partly open, even in the shade, even to run a quick errand, even if you leave a bowl of water. Dogs and cats can’t sweat like humans, so they pant to lower their body temperature. If they’re inside a car breathing and recycling hot air, panting gives no relief and heat stroke can happen quickly.

Heat stroke can permanently damage a pet’s health very rapidly. The change of only a few degrees to a dog’s normal body temperature can quickly result in coma, organ dysfunction, permanent brain damage or even death.

Even on a relatively cool day, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly spike to life-threatening levels experts have found. Research has put to rest the misconception that a parked car can be a safe place for a person or pet in mild weather. There are cases of children and dogs dying in cars on days as mild as 21°C.

“Leaving your pet in your car is legally punishable as it construes deliberately risking your animal’s life. We will lay charges against the owners,” Jansen van Rensburg says.

“Our inspectors spend so many hours a week heeding calls from the public about pets left in hot cars,” she added. “It costs us time and fuel when we could be attending to other animals in need,” she concluded.