Despite warning to owners about leaving pets in hot cars, the RSPCA received more than 300 calls last week during the mini heatwave in England and Wales.
The animal welfare charity received 317 reports of animals in hot environments, the majority of which were dogs that had been left in hot cars, from Monday 28 May to Sunday 3 June.
During that particular week temperatures hit the mid 20s and an average of two calls per hour were made to the RSPCA about pets in hot environments.
The RSPCA is one of 14 organisations that run the Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign each year, reminding pet owners never to leave their animals in hot environments such as vehicles, caravans, conservatories and outbuildings.
Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign manager, Holly Barber, who works for the RSPCA, said: “It’s difficult to understand why we are still receiving so many calls when the weather improves and why owners are still dicing with their pet’s lives.
“It’s simple – never leave your pet alone in a hot environment. Whether you’re popping into the shop for a newspaper or nipping into a pharmacy to pick up a prescription, please don’t take the risk. Last week, we had more than 300 calls about animals in hot environments and this figure should be zero.”
The RSPCA is urging owners never to take the risk and to either take their pet with them for their outing or leaving them at home in the cool with access to lots of water.
Lisa Hens, RSPCA dog welfare expert, said: “Never leave an animal in a car, caravan, conservatory of outbuilding when it’s warm outside as temperatures can quickly rise, even when it doesn’t feel that hot. For example, when it’s 22C outside, within an hour the temperature can reach 47C inside a vehicle, which can result in death.”
In an emergency, the RSCPA urge people to call 999 to report a dog in a hot car to the police as they have the power to enter a vehicle to free the dog.
