Hey Woofa’s,

The temperatures have been hot during our summer, which is to be expected.

Some are whinging that it’s too hot and other’s are loving it.

The media are constantly saying we’re in a heat wave, but we’re not!

The heat we are experiencing is normal summer weather.

The reason why people believe it’s soooooo hot is because we’re so acclimatized to air conditioning these days it’s not funny.

We live in a temperature controlled environment throughout our everyday lives.

We wake up in an air conditioned home, get into an air conditioned car or train and walk into an air conditioned office.  Even when we’re shopping we have air conditioned shops, cinemas, libraries etc……..everywhere you go it’s air conditioned air.

These days we even have fancy cars that you turn on and put the air conditioning on before you even get in the car!!!

We’ve become a soft society!!

For those that work outside generally they are the ones actually acclimatized to the environment and can handle the heat more easily.

What’s this got to do with dogs I hear you ask?

Well our dogs are part of our environment!

And most dogs these days are inside with us, therefore they’re inside in our air conditioned houses and cars.

I came across this story last year and it’s never sat well with me and I don’t think it ever will.

I felt the need to share it with everyone to show even the best of us have stupid moments that have catastrophic consequences!!

POLICE DOGS DIE BEING LEFT IN AIR CONDITIONED CAR!

This story is about and on behalf of two German Shepherd police dogs named Xtra and Soldier.

They had been taken by their handler (a Police Officer) to a developmental day at Lucas Heights and left in a car aka cooling pods for 2 hours unattended on a very hot summer’s day (this is not okay in any weather but hot weather is the worst)!

Apparently this is a regular thing that is done by Police as they are working dogs and can be left in cars while on shift for a long period of time during the night!!!

SERIOUSLY!

The cooling system’s alarm went off to alert ‘someone’ that it was down but no-one was around to hear it!!!  OMFG!!

So these poor dogs died from heat exhaustion, suffocation etc –  they suffered in their death!

I would’ve thought Police Officers would have more sense than to leave the dogs in the car, but I get it the dogs are working and need to be stationary until they are required.

HOWEVER, being left unattended AND especially on a stinking hot day, someone should’ve been required to do regular checks (every 5 minutes) or stay with them.

This infuriates me because if our Police can stuff up this massively, so can anyone else.

Here’s the story as reported on Channel 7 News!!

What astounds me is that the Police Commissioner says there’s no human error!!! WTF!

The human error is – these dogs were left alone in the car full stop for 2 hours on a stinking hot day without being regularly checked on!

Did the actually car malfunction?  The car did what it was meant to and actually sounded an alert alarm to the fact that the cooling system had stopped working!!

BUT there were NO HUMANS around to hear it!!!  Ummmm there’s human error right there.

There’s actually three human errors – the dogs being left alone in the car (and on a stinking hot day), the dogs not being regularly checked on, and no one around to hear the car alerting to the fact that the cooling system was down!!!

How can it be said there were no human errors????

Even more caution should’ve been taken given the hot summers day!

WHY IT’S NEVER OKAY TO LEAVE YOUR DOG ALONE IN A CAR?

Well for starters, the above story is one of many reasons.

It’s so easy to have the dog in the car with you and then think, ‘oh I’m just going to call into the shop really quick to grab something and I’ll be right back!’

You leave the windows down a bit (not too much because the car might be stolen!!!), and tell the dog you’ll be back and they’ll be okay.

But soon enough you’re in the shop grabbing other stuff, or you see someone you know and you’re chatting or the line to pay for the item/s is super long and you’re away from the car much longer than you think!

In the mean time, your dog is in the car and the temperature is rising in the car (cooling system on or not), or your dog is jumping around the car and has turned off the cooling system, or the hand brake etc.

Anything can happen, even if your dog is tethered into the seat belt, they could get excited if someone walks by and get all tangled up and end up strangling or hurting themselves.

They could start chewing at your car in anxiety and frustration.

Other people (like me) could see your dog alone in a car on a hot day and either smash your car window to remove your dog, stay with your car and dog and give you a mouthful when you return or call the authorities on you.

It’s a duty of care to look after your dogs and this is neglect!

Same goes if you’re leaving your dog alone in the car and it’s freezing outside, don’t do it!   PERIOD!!!

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A DOG LOCKED INSIDE A CAR?

According to the NRMA website –

During hot weather, we rescue over 100 pets from cars per month, with the majority of calls received by the vehicle owner.

You do not need to be a Member to call the NRMA on 13 11 11 in this situation and due to the grave danger involved, we drop everything to respond to these calls which are prioritised.

Upon arrival, we provide skills and equipment to enter the vehicle or support emergency services.

The majority of these emergency calls are made by the vehicle custodian, where permission has been given to access the vehicle. If you are not the vehicle custodian (e.g., passer-by), try the obvious solution of checking if any doors are unlocked.

If the vehicle is locked and the animal is clearly distressed or you believe its life is in danger, you can call NRMA roadside assistance who will send a patrol officer to make an assessment of the situation. Emergency services will also be contacted if the situation is said to be life-threatening.

You can also contact the emergency services immediately (000) who may break the window themselves or liaise directly with the NRMA to assist, depending on the circumstances.

While most vehicles can be unlocked by following appropriate lock-out procedures, there will be circumstances when breaking a window will be the most reasonable action.

Criminal Offence 

There are specific provisions in relation to ‘Carriage and Conveyance’ of animals in the Prevention of cruelty to Animals Act.

In relation to dogs locked in cars, section 5 would apply: “a person in charge of an animal shall not fail at any time (b) where pain is being inflicted upon the animal to take such reasonable steps as are necessary to alleviate the pain”.

In relation to the provision of water, Section 8 (1) states that ‘a person in charge of an animal shall not fail to provide the animal with food, drink or shelter etc’.

These offences can carry fines of $5,500 and up to six months in jail. If a dog dies as a result of being left in a car, charges include $22,500 in fines and two years jail time for the owner.

We encourage all our Members to take the RSPCA Pledge to never leave your dog in a hot car.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

Pretty much the last sentence of the last paragraph – NEVER LEAVE YOUR DOG IN A CAR UNATTENDED, ESPECIALLY ON A HOT DAY!!

You have a duty of care to your dog, and common sense should say, don’t leave your dog alone in the car!

Learn from other people’s catastrophic neglect.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – IF YOU’D HEARD OF THE ABOVE STORY AND WHAT YOU THOUGHT AT THE TIME?