The UK may be a nation of dog lovers, but it seems we are still putting man’s best friend at risk as a new survey released today by Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, reveals that over 66% of people have seen a dog locked in a car on a sunny day yet over a third of them did nothing about it. With temperatures easily reaching over 40 degrees in some parked vehicles (alright, it wasn’t quite THAT hot in June) dogs could die within minutes. The UK has just launched a “Hot Cars Can Kill Dogs” Campaign. We may not get it in Jersey so Gallery thought we should make you animal lovers aware. The survey also reveals that 15% of those questioned called the police when they saw a dog locked in the car, 49% tried to alert the driver and 4% actually broke into the car to rescue the dog. Over the last year AA patrols have rescued 832 pets locked in cars and in recent years there have been several high profile cases of canine fatalities.
Advice to motorists include:
Never leave your dog alone in the car – even if it seems cool outside it can become very hot very quickly. Parking in the shade and/or keeping the windows down does not make it safe!
Make sure you keep your dog as cool as possible when driving: avoid travelling during the heat of the day, use sun blinds on the windows and consider opening a window a little to allow a cooling breeze to circulate in the vehicle.
Make sure you have a supply of water and know where you can stop off on route for water breaks. Dogs are not able to cool down as effectively as humans so could suffer from heat stroke and dehydration very quickly.
If you do see a dog in distress please contact your local police station or the JSPCA.
