Search KelownaNow
During the warm spring and summer months, cars can become a death trap for dogs.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, hundreds of dogs die from heat exhaustion in parked vehicles every year.
It’s easy to underestimate how hot the inside of a car gets in a short amount of time, and it’s even easier to underestimate on an overcast or slightly cooler day.
But it doesn’t need to be over 30°C for you car to quickly turn into a sauna.
“On a 25°C day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to between 38°C and 48°C in just minutes,” PETA says. “On a 32°C day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 70°C in less than 10 minutes.”
A person isn’t surviving long in 70 degree heat and a fur covered dog is going to succumb to the heat even quicker.
It’s not an issue you can solve by leaving a windows cracked either, which was proven by a Canada Safety Council study.
The study showed that leaving a window slightly open did very little to prevent the inside of a vehicle from becoming dangerously hot.
If you do encounter a dog inside a hot car, it's going to be tempting to take matters into your own hands, but the BC SPCA advises otherwise.
Rather than break a window of the car, which is an act of mischief under the Criminal Code, you're asked to call the BC SPCA immediately.
That way, the BC SPCA can assess the situation with the police and make sure the proper action is taken.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.