More reports of dogs locked in hot cars this summer than last with more than month to go

There are already more complaints about dogs left “cooking” in hot cars this summer than the last, with more than a month left of the season.

The SPCA has received 347 complaints about dogs being left in hot cars nationally between November 1 and January 31 – 37 of these complaints were in the Bay of Plenty.

Last summer betweenNovember 1 and March 31, the SPCA received 339 complaints about dogs in hot cars nationally – 25 of those were in the Bay of Plenty.

SPCA inspectorate team leader for the BOP region Jason Blair said “at least daily we’ll be receiving calls about dogs continuing to be left in hot cars in the Bay of Plenty area”.

Blair said it could take fewer than 10 minutes on a mild day for the inside of a car to exceed 31C, and “near minutes” for a dog to show signs of distress.

“Don’t leave your dog in a car in warmer weather even if you think it’s gonna be for a short time and don’t underestimate how quickly the inside cabin temperature of a car can climb. Even with the window slightly down it makes very little difference.”

“It is really a greenhouse with the sun shining directly into a car.”

Blair said he believes the SPCA has given the public enough information to prevent this from happening, however “there’s still a lot of people over there that aren’t getting the message or underestimating the level of concern”.

Blair said it was frustrating to see incidents after educating people, “as well as the level of concern and danger and distress to the animals, it takes a lot of our resources away”.

Blair’s advice for by-passers was to call the SPCA so they could give advice about what actions to take.

Except for enforcement agencies, people were not allowed to smash car windows to help a hot dog.

“There’s no legislative power to remove an animal by force… you need to call the SPCA or police and seek advice,” Blair said.

Blair said a $300 infringement fee could be issued for leaving a dog in a car when it displayed heat distress.

In less-severe cases, the SPCA would educate and warn dog owners, which would be put on record.

Dog owners could face prosecution if there was a fatality or their dog became extremely unwell.

In a lot of the situations he came across, the dog owners were “obviously people who care very much for their dogs and are actually taking them with them cause they feel sorry to leave them at home,” Blair said.

Taupo VetPlus vet Holly Rabone said in a hot car “your [dog’s] body is basically cooking, your [dog’s] blood temperature gets too hot and then it’s not able to move through the organs properly”.

Rabone said the increasing number of complaints were concerning.

“It’s just as much risk of leaving your child in the car as leaving your pet in there.

“People just don’t realise how quickly it gets hot.”

Rabone said dogs being left in cars was “just something that unfortunately is always going to happen no matter what we do but it’s definitely something that we just need to keep reminding people of”.

“People just forget, they’re not meaning to leave their dog in a hot car.”

Rabone said dogs with health issues, old age or obesity were more prone to ending up in life-threatening situations in a hot car.

For mild heatstroke cases, Rabone advised that dog owners put their dog in front of a fan and soak cool towels to put on them. Drinking cold water could put the dog into shock.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council compliance and monitoring manager Alison Curtis said “understanding of the risks, and how quickly internal car temperatures can rise is critical, and owners may be lacking this knowledge and understanding”.

“Animal welfare is a serious concern for our community, with dogs being housed in inadequate conditions and their care being neglected.

“Any member of the public who has concerns about dogs being kept in hot cars should immediately contact the SPCA or police.”

The council had a number of dog welfare controls included in its Dog Control Bylaw to address substandard housing and keeping of dogs on property, in line with the NZ Animal Welfare standards.

No complaints have been received by the council regarding dogs being kept in cars this summer.

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