THE owners of the two very distressed dogs they had locked in their 4x4 on March 11 were extremely lucky they did not lose their pets to heatstroke.
The vehicle, parked in a village hall car park, had no windows open, even though there was strong sun.
Had it not been for a very concerned lady reporting the distressed state the dogs were in to a member of the hall, who promptly got the messge to the dog owners, it could so easily have ended tragically.
Putting an animal's life at risk in this way carries a £5,000 fine and/or six month prison sentence.
Leaving an animal in a stationary vehicle with windows open for as little as 20 minutes, is too long.
As the weather is getting warmer, I make a heartfelt plea to all supermarkets, DIY centres, garden centres and public houses with beer gardens, to please keep an eye open for dogs left in hot cars by their irresponsible owners, putting the animal's life at risk.
Please inform the RSPCA Cruelty Hot Line - 0990 559999 or the local RSPCA and police.
P MATTHEWS, Eastleigh.
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