A Calgary woman has been charged after a dog died in a hot car on Canada Day, according to Calgary police.
Police said they received reports of a dog in distress inside a vehicle in the 0 to 100 block of Mount Copper Green Southeast at around 5 p.m. on July 1. Officers said they found a dog lying unresponsive inside the car.
Witnesses told officers that the dog was panting so heavily that the car was shaking, and the dog stopped responding to knocks on the window after some time, according to a Thursday news release.
Police said the windows of the vehicle were up and the doors were locked, and officers had to break the window to attempt to rescue the dog.
The dog was identified as a female four-year-old Alaskan malamute and German shepherd mix named Lucky. Police said Lucky was left in the car for more than two hours when outside temperatures were approximately 20 C.
Police said Lucky’s owner, Kaitlyn Rose Folkins, 30, is facing animal injury-related charges under the Criminal Code and the Alberta Animal Protection Act.
Folkins is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, Aug. 2.
The Calgary Police Service said people should call 911 immediately if they see an animal alone in a vehicle on a warm or hot day.
“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,” Brad Nichols, Calgary Humane Society’s director of enforcement and vice executive director, said in an emailed statement.
“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.”
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