Articles

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has launched a campaign to alert dog owners to the dangers of leaving their pet to stay inside a hot car during the summer.

Many owners invest in insurance for their dog, yet are still putting their pet at risk by leaving him or her in their vehicle during hot weather as they are not aware of the possible consequences.

The Scottish SPCA has said that this can lead to the demise of a dog much quicker than most owners realise.

Even if the vehicle is parked in the shade, with an open window and water provided for your dog, the temperature can soar inside a car very quickly, leaving the animal with no escape route. If a window is left open enough, the dog may escape or even bite a passerby. Even if an owner has dog bite insurance , this is something that is best avoided.

Mike Flynn, Chief Superintendent for the Scottish SPCA stated that there had been over 100 occurrences of this during the last year, with several leading to fatalities.

When illustrating how people roll down the car’s windows or switch on the air conditioning when they enter a hot car, he said: "Imagine being trapped in that same vehicle wearing a fur coat for minutes, possibly hours and you are some way to understanding how your dog feels."

A high profile case involved a police officer in Nottingham who left two service dogs inside his vehicle, leading to their deaths. He was officially reprimanded, and has only recently returned to work.

Some people may be tempted to leave their dog in their car with the air conditioning still running, but this too can lead to tragedy. In 2003, a police dog in Texas died when the air conditioning system of the car malfunctioned and began blowing hot air as a result of the car’s engine overheating. In 2004 a coupe in North Carolina lost two dogs when a similar thing happened, even though they had left bowls of water and ice in the car and had only left the car for 30 minutes.

The Scottish SPCA’s objectives aim to encourage humanity and kindness towards animals.