A dog that was left inside a car that was parked at the Cambridge Walmart for over an hour Monday has prompted police to issue a reminder to never leave pets or children unattended in a vehicle.
So far in the month of June, WRPS have received 14 calls for pets left in hot cars.
"Members of the public are reminded to never leave pets or children unattended in a vehicle. Temperatures inside can quickly become hotter than the temperature outside, and cracking a window does not help," wrote WRPS information officer, Melissa Quarrie in an email to CambridgeToday.
If anyone from the community happens upon a pet left in a car unattended, police ask them to call 911 immediately as this is an emergency.
A post made on Facebook showed a dog left inside a car in Cambridge on Monday afternoon while its owner shopped inside.
Taylor Kargus was on her way into Walmart when she saw a dog locked in a car and noticed it was in distress.
"Stop leaving your dogs in cars on hot days! This dog has been crying at me for over an hour in the parking lot. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this dog," wrote Kargus in a Facebook post.
It was assumed the dog was panting and drooling because of the heat inside the vehicle. The owners did leave the window cracked, but as police say, this is not enough.
Social media users took to the post, upset by the fact the dog was left all alone in the car.
"Please report it, ridiculous people, the dog could have died in a short amount of time. A cracked window is not ok," wrote one user.
"I'm glad it was you seeing this and not me. I'd smash that window in 2 seconds! Call animal control right away please," wrote another angry Facebook user.
Despite calls to break the window and remove the dog from the vehicle, Quarrie said no attempt should be made to enter the vehicle and police should be notified right away.
Kargus added she's seen the same dog locked in the car before and this time was able to get a license plate and report them to police before the owner returned and the vehicle left the parking lot.
Calls for animal control can be made to Cambridge Animal Services at (519) 623-6323.
Ontario's animal protection model provides a toll-free number available 24/7 to report animal welfare concerns and can be reached at 1-(833)-926-4625.
