Source: Radio New Zealand
File pic 123RF
SPCA inspectors in Bay of Plenty and Waikato have been getting up to four calls a day this summer for dogs left in hot cars.
Jason Blair, who leads the local team of inspectors, told Summer Report they were receiving more calls every summer, and the message didn’t seem to be getting through.
“I think people underestimate or underappreciate the risk that they are putting their dogs in,” he said.
His inspectors arrived to find dogs in a variety of states.
“Sometimes if they’re up and about, distressed, yapping at the window, that’s concerning as well, but really, we are really concerned if we do arrive and a dog is seeking shade or is low in the vehicle, if they really are panting heavily and they’re drooling, that’s when we start getting really concerned.”
He said there was no safe way to leave a dog in a car, as leaving a crack in the windows did nothing to increase airflow, and the temperature would keep climbing, even parked in the shade.
He urged people to ring the SPCA or the police if they found a dog in distress, and they could give advice over the phone and dispatch inspectors if required.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
