Photo Credit: BC SPCA

By Sam Bennison

Animal Safety

Don’t leave your animals in the car this summer

Jul 5, 2024 | 5:00 AM

PRINCE GEORGE—As the weather begins to heat up with expected highs above thirty degrees over the weekend, the BC SPCA is reminding everyone to not leave their pets in a vehicle.

“We hear it all the time, ‘I was just running into the store, I was only gone a few minutes!’ but what many people don’t understand is that even a few minutes can have fatal effects for an animal. Not to mention, even the shortest trips can easily turn into a half an hour or more in the store while your pet suffers in the heat,” says Eileen Drever, senior officer for protection and stakeholder relations for the BC SPCA. “You might think your pet wants the company of joining you on your errands. Unless you know for sure you can bring them with you into the stores you plan to visit, we encourage you to leave pets at home where the temperature is more controlled, there’s more space and they have easy access to fresh water.”

In 2023, the BC SPCA Animal Helpline received 837 calls concerning animals in hot vehicles across the province. Since the start of this year the helpline has already received 257 calls with the BCSPCA predicting that number will rise with the temperature.

If you see an animal in a hot car do not break a window to remove an animal as it is not only illegal but also dangerous for you and the pet. Drever adds that only the RCMP, local police, and BC SPCA animal protection officers have can lawfully enter a vehicle to help an animal in distress.

However, if you do see an animal sitting in a potentially hot vehicle there are steps you can take:

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• Take note of the license plate, vehicle colour, make and model and connect with nearby businesses to have the animal owner paged to return to their vehicle immediately.
• If the animal is showing signs of distress (exaggerated panting or no panting at all, salivating, an anxious or staring expression, muscle tremors or lack of coordination, convulsions, vomiting, collapse), call your local animal control agency, police department or RCMP, or the BC SPCA Animal Helpline at 1-855-622-7722 as soon as possible.
• Remember to relay location information of the car including city and landmarks, especially if the vehicle is located in a busy parking lot, and listen to the instructions of the call takers.

If you wish to go the extra mile in helping keep pets safe you can sign up on the BCSPCA’s website to recieve a free “No Pets in Hot Cars” decal in the mail.

Photo Credit: BC SPCA

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Email: sam.bennison@pattisonmedia.com