Don’t leave your pets in the car as temps rise, warn OPP
Posted Jun 11, 2017 07:40:10 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With temperatures in the region reaching the 30s on Sunday, provincial police are reminding you not to leave your pets in the car.
OPP Serg. Peter Leon says we have to remember our animals are wearing fur coats and a vehicle will heat up incredibly fast in a very short period of time.
“The reality of it is it will put your pet, your loved family member, into a point of distress that is totally unacceptable and very unfair,” he says, adding if you see an animal in a hot car with the windows rolled up, call 911 and let the dispatcher know your exact location. Stay with the vehicle and an officer will respond immediately.
Leon says calls like these are a priority, as the police force knows animals can suffer greatly in a short period of time, and can cause irreversible damage to the animal’s health.
“There has been some misinformation out there in recent months with regards to people taking a picture, breaking the window and then they are justified,” he says. “Instead let us do what needs to be done.”
Leon says if we have to force entry into a vehicle to save an animal that’s in distress, we will, and we have done it before in the past.
Leon adds even if you leave your pet in the car with air conditioning on, you don’t know who’s lurking around the corner.
“Your car may be locked, but it could provide an opportunity for someone to take your vehicle because it might not just be your pet that’s in the car, you may have valuable items as well,” he says.
Leon says he has also heard that some insurance companies may not cover you if your vehicle is stolen because you left it running.
There could be consequences and charges for leaving your animal in a hot locked car.
“We would work very closely with the local animal control in our communities and if there was such a need there is a section in the Criminal Code that deals with cruelty to animals,” he says.
He adds it’s very simple, if you’re going out and have stops to make along the way, leave your family pet at home.
