Summer isn’t over yet and police are reminding the public if a car is too hot for you, it’s too hot for your pet. On Monday afternoon at around 1, South Simcoe police say they got a report of a dog left inside a vehicle at Tanger Outlet Mall in Cookstown. When officers arrived, they found a dog allegedly confined to a cage in the trunk with no water to be found. Police confirm the vehicle was turned off and the front window was open roughly one inch. According to officers, the outside temperature was around 23 degrees Celsius. Investigators started searching for the owner of the vehicle and made a public announcement. During the search, the vehicle’s owner came back. In total, authorities say the dog was in the vehicle for more than 30 minutes. The owner has been charged under the Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act. In a video posted to social media, a South Simcoe police officer is heard speaking with the owner. “I tell people, if I don’t feel comfortable sitting in the car for half an hour in a hot car, then I wouldn’t allow it for my pet,” the officer says. The officer went onto say the police service gets a lot of complaints like this one. Police are reminding pet owners that when shopping or running errands, to leave pets safely at home as opposed to an unattended vehicle. “Cracking a window does not provide adequate protection from heat, and pets can be at risk even when the weather may not initially feel extremely hot,” police say.
