Keep pets out of hot cars, says Humane Society

With some of the highest temperatures yet this summer in the Maritimes this weekend, the P.E.I. Humane Society is reminding people not to leave their pets alone in vehicles.

Jeff Barrett, an animal protection officer with the society, says even leaving an animal in a car for a few minutes can be deadly.

It really happens surprisingly fast. With the windows cracked a couple of inches down, the temperature can rise as much as 10 or 15 degrees inside a hot car. So, if it's 25 degrees outside, it very quickly becomes 35 or 40 degrees inside the car even in five or 10 minutes, so it's very dangerous even if you're just running in to the store, he said.

Halifax Regional Police are echoing the call, asking pet owners to be responsible and not leave pets locked in cars on hot days.

On Wednesday, aLunenburg County, N.S., man was fined $5,000and was prohibited from owning animals for 10 years after his Portuguese water dog died when he left it inside his car in Wolfville during a hot day last summer.

If anyone sees an animal in distress, they're advised to contact an animal rescue society as soon as possible:

• P.E.I. Humane Society (902) 892-1191
• Nova Scotia SPCA (902) 835-4798
• New Brunswick SPCA (506) 458-8208