June 29, 2019 - 1037 views
As the hot weather continues across the North Wales Coast and in Colwyn Bay, the RSPCA are reminding everyone heading to the beach or countryside to excercise some common sense when it comes to dogs in cars.
Many people still believe that it's ok to leave a dog in a car on a warm day if the windows are left open or they're parked in the shade, but the truth is, it's still a very dangerous situation for the dog.
A car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn't feel that warm.
When it's 22 degrees, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour.In an emergency and if you see a dog shut inside the car, the RSPCA may not be able to attend quickly enough, and with no powers of entry, we'd need police assistance at such an incident.
So don't be afraid to dial 999, the police will inform us if animal welfare assistance is required.If the situation becomes critical for the dog and the police are too far away or unable to attend, many people's instinct will be to break into the car to free the dog.
If you decide to do this, please be aware that without proper justification, this could be classed as criminal damage and, potentially, you may need to defend your actions in court.
Make sure you tell the police what you intend to do and why. Take pictures or videos of the dog and the names and numbers of witnesses to the incident.
The law states that you have a lawful excuse to commit damage if you believe that the owner of the property that you damage would consent to the damage if they knew the circumstances.
For more details of what you should do when faced with such an emergency, please visit the RSPCA online.
