Calgary police have charged a woman whose dog died after being left in a hot car on Canada Day.
Around 5 p.m. on Monday, July 1, officers responded to reports of a dog in distress inside a vehicle on Mount Copper Green SE.
When police got there, they found a dog lying unresponsive on the floor.
Witnesses told investigators they had seen a dog panting so heavily that the car was shaking, and the dog eventually stopped responding to knocks on the window.
Police say the windows of the vehicle were up and the doors were locked.
The officer was able to get to the dog by breaking a window.
The dog, a female four-year-old Alaskan Malamute, German Shepard crossbreed named Lucky, was found dead inside the car.
Lucky’s owner 30-year-old Kaitlyn Rose Folkins, has been charged with one count of causing damage or injury to an animal and one count of causing an animal to be in distress.
She is set to appear in court on Friday, Aug. 2.
Investigators believe Lucky was left inside the closed vehicle for more than two hours, when the outside temperature was around 20 C.
“It boggles my mind that we continue to receive calls for service related to animals left in hot vehicles,” said District 8 Acting Insp. Scott Neilson of the Calgary Police Service. “It should be common sense that leaving an animal in a hot vehicle is irresponsible and can have serious consequences, including death and charges, like what has happened in Lucky’s case.
“Lucky’s death was an avoidable tragedy, and I’m asking Calgarians to think of her the next time they consider leaving an animal inside of a car on a warm or hot day, even for a short period.”
CPS and the Calgary Humane Society are reminding Calgarians that the temperature inside a vehicle can rise to dangerous levels in as little as a few minutes, and a partially open window doesn’t effectively lower a vehicle’s inside temperature, nor does the availability of water.
“Leave your dog at home – there are no excuses for leaving an animal unattended in a vehicle in hot weather. Dogs do not regulate body temperature like humans; they don’t sweat and are so much more susceptible to heat-related injury,” said Calgary Humane Society Director of Enforcement and Vice Executive Director Brad Nichols. “What are you willing to lose? A windshield? A pet? Money to pay a fine? Your freedom due to incarceration? It’s all at risk if you decide to leave an animal in a car in the temperatures we are currently experiencing. We shouldn’t be fielding hundreds of these types of calls every summer. For the animal’s sake, if you see something, say something. You may be the only one advocating for that suffering animal.”
If you see an animal alone in a vehicle on a warm or hot day, call 911 immediately and be prepared to give a location, the vehicle’s license plate number, make, model, and a brief description.
Reports of an animal left inside a hot vehicle can also be made to the Calgary Human Society by calling 403-205-4455.