Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, will be working with officers on patrol in the city to keep any eye out for dogs left in vehicles on streets and in car parks.
Every year animal welfare charities and the police receive thousands of reports of animals being left alone in cars on warm days. Brighton & Hove has been identified as a ‘hot spot’ when it comes to calls received by the RSPCA concerning dogs being left alone in cars over the summer months.
That’s why this year, together with Dogs Trust, the city's Civil Enforcement Officers will be taking action if they spot a dog in distress in a hot car.
If an officer spots a dog in distress they will call 999 so the dog can be removed from the car quickly and safely.
Lee Paris, Senior Campaigns Officer at Dogs Trust, says: “Many people still believe that it's OK to leave a dog in a car on a warm day if the windows are left open or they're parked in the shade, but the truth is, it's not.
“A car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn't feel that warm and a dog can die in a hot car in twenty minutes. When it's 22 degrees outside, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour.
“We are delighted to be working with Brighton & Hove City Council to raise awareness of the dangers and to try and prevent the heartbreak and distress caused when a much loved family pet suffers, or dies, because they have been left in a car on a summer’s day.”
Civil Enforcement Officers will report any incidents while carrying out their standard enforcement patrols. This ensures citywide coverage, including council car parks.
Councillor Anne Pissaridou, chair of the environment, transport and sustainability committee, says: “We want people to enjoy the summer months in Brighton & Hove with their dogs, but to keep them safe. Nobody ever thinks it’s going to happen to them or their much loved family pet yet every year many people still gamble with their dog’s life by leaving them alone in a car on a warm day.
“Working with Dogs Trust we hope to make people aware of the dangers, so that dogs and owners visiting the city return home safely.”
Dogs Trust advise anyone who sees a dog in distress in a hot car to call 999 immediately. Signs of heat stroke in dogs include heavy panting, excessive drooling, vomiting, being drowsy and unco-ordinated and collapsing.
To help a dog in this condition, place them in the shade, pour small amounts of tepid, not cold, water onto their body, help them to drink small amounts of tepid water and once their breathing has settled, call the nearest vet.
Find out more about caring for dogs in the hot weather.
