Dog seized by officials

CANADA -- A dog left in a vehicle on a sweltering day was seized by officials on Tuesday afternoon.

Cobourg Police Sgt. Jim Rutherford said police were called to McGill Street by a bylaw officer after a dog was spotted in the back of a pickup truck with a cap on the vehicle shortly after 1 p.m.

When police arrived the side windows of the cap were only open a small amount. The dog was in visible distress and police called Animal Control Officer Ross Barth to the scene.

 

Rutherford said it appears the owner had made “some attempt” at leaving the windows open, but with the “extreme heat the dog was covered in sweat.”

The temperature outside the vehicle was 28 degrees Celsius (82 degress Fahrenheit).

Barth arrived and seized the dog from the vehicle. A woman from the Post Office brought a bowl of water for the dog. Shortly after that the animal was taken to the Northumberland Humane Society.

Police left a business card on the windshield of the vehicle so the owner would know to contact them.

A short time later the bylaw officer noticed the vehicle was parked at an expired metre and issued a parking ticket for $30.

At approximately 2:45 p.m. a woman walked back to the pickup truck with a number of children.

She said she didn’t believe she was gone from the vehicle for over an hour, but refused to comment further.

She didn’t remove either the ticket or the officer’s business card from the windshield, but quickly got inside the vehicle with the children and drove away.

An SPCA officer said the dog was picked up from the Humane Society around 3 p.m.

The family was cautioned about their actions and paid an administration and boarding fee of $50.

[I think a more appropriate punishment for this woman is to make her climb inside this vehicle in the same conditions -- 82 degrees and sunny -- and let her swelter inside for an hour and forty-five minutes.]

The vehicle is registered to a person from the Aurora area.

(Northumberland Today - Aug 1, 2012)