Warning about leaving pets in hot cars ahead of weekend scorcher

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The hot and dry weekend is almost here but it comes with a familiar warning, don’t leave your pets inside your parked vehicle.

There have been more than 900 reports of dogs or other animals being left in dangerous situations in BC this summer. That number is down from last year, but Lorie Chortyk with the BC SPCA says that could be because we haven’t seen the scorching temperatures we saw last year.

“I think as we see the weather get warmer this weekend we’re unfortunately going see those numbers rise.”

She explains people are becoming more aware of the dangers, but some people just haven’t caught on. “I think people take animals with them because obviously they love their pets and they just may not be aware that those cars become deathtraps for their animals. It can take as little as 10 minutes for an animal to suffer brain damage and to die.”

Chortyk adds there are people who leave their pets in a car with the air conditioning on along with a sign saying, ‘The pet will be OK.’ “They can certainly use that kind of signage, but honestly, our recommendation is to leave your pets at home,” argues Chortyk.

She says if you see a pet inside a vehicle, you can do a couple of things before resorting to breaking a window, like going to a business and seeing if they can page the car owner or calling the SPCA or the police.

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