Posted:
The quick action of an officer resulted in two dogs being rescued from a hot car on the waterfront this afternoon.
At 12:20 p.m., a Community Response Officer was flagged down by a citizen who observed two dogs left unattended in a parked vehicle in the 1600 block of Lower Water Street. Both dogs, small with long hair, were panting heavily and did not have access to any water. Although the windows of the vehicle were down a crack, the officer could feel very hot air coming from inside of the vehicle. The officer used a coat hanger to unlock the doors and free the dogs from their precarious situation. It was determined that the dogs were inside the vehicle for almost an hour. The outside temperature at the time was 25 degrees Celsius.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing and charges under the Animal Protection Act are anticipated against the owner of the dogs.
On a sunny day, even with the windows open, a parked vehicle quickly becomes like a furnace and presents potentially fatal conditions for pets left inside. With sunny weather and warm temperatures upon us, we encourage pet owners to not leave their pets unattended in vehicles, even for a few minutes.
If you see a pet in immediate distress, call 9-1-1 and take directions from the call taker.