Police in Powell River are sending out another reminder, asking B.C.’ers to refrain from leaving their kids or pets in hot vehicles.
With another heat warning in effect, the reminder is being stressed now more than ever – with people urged to call 9-1-1 right away when spotting a person or pet in distress.
“Parked cars trap heat quickly,” the Powell River RCMP says. “Opening or lowering the windows does little or nothing to protect pets or children inside and will lead to possible criminal investigation against you.”
The warning comes after police responded to two separate reports of dogs left in cars, one day after the other.
On Monday (July 26th) at around 4:00 pm, the Powell River RCMP was called to the local Walmart parking lot, after a dog was reportedly locked in a car.
According to police, “Members attended and located the vehicle. The vehicle was not running, no windows were open and the large long-haired dog was in the back hatch area panting heavily and was clearly in critical distress.”
Officers then broke the car’s window to rescue the dog from ‘imminent heat stroke’, giving it water before sending it off to the SPCA. This file is ongoing and is still under investigation, police note.
Then, the following day (Tuesday) just after 4:00 pm, police were called after another dog was reportedly spotted alone in a car in the local Canadian Tire parking lot.
“Members attended and found that the dog was no longer in the vehicle and the owner was now at the scene,” police add. “The owner was warned that leaving a dog unattended could lead to a criminal investigation.”
