23.06.2017

As temperatures soared this week, we received 724 calls in just five days from people concerned about dogs suffering in the heat.

The calls from worried members of the public included dozens about dogs left panting heavily in vehicles, but also those overheating in gardens with no shelter, on balconies in direct sunlight, in a campervan and even puppies under a plastic roof at a garden centre.
 

One of our inspectors snapped the thermometer in his van parked in the sunshine at the Malvern Show last weekend, which saw the temperature inside hit 51 degrees. 

Although we, along with a consortium of other animal welfare organisations, campaign each year to raise awareness of the dangers through the Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign, these latest figures show the message is still not getting through to some.

Some still believe it's ok

Lisa Richards, our dog welfare expert, said:

Dogs die in hot cars and it’s never okay to leave dogs alone in parked cars on warm days. But it’s important to realise that it is not just cars which pose a risk to animals when the temperature soars.

While we know our hard-hitting message is starting to get through, lessons are still not being learned. The number of calls we received about dogs suffering from extreme heat has soared over the past five days, with more than 700 between Saturday 17 and Wednesday 21 June 2017. Unfortunately, many people still seem to be under the impression that it’s okay to leave their dogs in the car while they work out, go shopping or attend an appointment.

Our polling backs this up. Though our latest data shows an improvement in awareness, we are amazed that almost four out of 10 people would still leave their dog alone in a car on a warm day.

Please see our dogs in a hot car page for more information on what to do in this situation. In an emergency, we may not be able to attend quickly enough and our officers have no power of entry so we urge the public to call police on 999.

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