Two large dogs left in a vehicle reported after half an hour, a 34-C sun beating down and almost roasting them alive.
That was one of several ‘hot dog’ calls the City RCMP got on a scorcher of a day earlier this week. There was another for a dog left in a truck at an auto shop. Another of a dog in another vehicle at another location.
And on it goes.
Every year, the calls come in. Every year, the media do stories warning dog owners about keeping Fido at home.
Every year, dozens of dog owners just don’t listen and just don’t think.
Most dogs love going for rides. They hear the jingle of keys and start heading for the door. They leap into a vehicle and leave nose prints on the window until it gets rolled down enough that they can stick their face out into the wind.
They are innocents. They don’t know the hazards that can come with something as simple as going for a ride. It’s up to their owners to know about those hazards and to make sure their pets remain safe.
Too much time in a hot vehicle, even with the windows cracked part way, can lead to organ damage and death for your four-footed friend.
Do-gooders often get ignored. Check out the Global TV report on this dog owner who left his dog in his truck, allegedly, for an hour in 24-C heat: http://www.globaltvbc.com/dog+in+hot+car+in+kelowna+leads+to+confrontation/6442674077/story.html.
Letting Rover ride in the bed of a truck is just as bad. The sun beats down directly on your pet, and the truck bed heats up like a frying pan. Imagine that on fleshy paw pads.
They can also get thrown around in the back of a truck, even if they’re chained in, or they can fall out and get dragged.
It is against the law to have a dog in the back of a truck unless it’s in a secured carrier. Period. Yet it’s still a common sight.
While dogs love to face into the breeze when a car or truck is moving, anything flying through the air, from dust to leaves to sand, can damage their eyes.
Even when it doesn’t seem that scorching, say, in the 25-C range, temperatures inside a closed car or truck will get much greater.
Perhaps if dog owners were forced to endure what they put their pets through, they would get it. Instead of warnings or fines, anyone leaving Rex inside for 10 or 20 minutes or more should get equal time (or perhaps longer) with windows closed.
Perhaps then their minds will open.
We Say editorials represent the viewpoint of The Daily News and are written by editor Robert Koopmans, city editor Tracy Gilchrist, news editor Mike Cornell or associate news editors Dan Spark and Mark Rogers.
