Help keep pets safe this summer

Thursday, June 12, 2014, 3:23 PM -

With summer around the corner, many are already thinking about long road trips and vacation days spent under the sun. Too often these plans distract pet owners from their four-legged friends and the risks of too much heat and sun exposure. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) receives hundreds of reports to offices across Canada about pets left in hot vehicles during the summer.

According to the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), when it’s a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius outside, the temperature inside a car can reach 47 C within 60 minutes. A dog can handle an internal body temperature of 40 C for only minutes before brain damage or death, which is why pet owners and the public must take extra care when pets are left or found in hot cars.

“If you are going to go out with your dog, make sure that you have somebody else in the vehicle to stay with your animal, make sure they are safe, or if you are going to be out for an extended period of time, just leave your animal at home” he added.

Every year Human Societies across Canada urge pet owners to avoid leaving dogs in hot cars, but it’s just as important for people without pets to take action when they see a distressed animal. The Ottawa Humane Society advises that the public contact the local Humane Society, or local police services, if they notice an animal suffering due to heat. Be sure to note the exact location of the vehicle, the make, model, and colour of the vehicle, and the license plate.

Under the Ontario SPCA Act, it is against the law to leave pets in a parked vehicle, unattended, in a manner that risks the health or safety of the animal.