Dog owner charged for leaving pets in vehicle

Police in Summerside charged a dog owner for leaving pets in a vehicle Friday, one of the first charges laid under P.E.I.'s new Animal Welfare Act.

Police received a report of five dogs in a vehicle at about 3 p.m. Friday. Temperatures that day reached 29 C.

The vehicle was parked outside a store. It was not running, the windows were down a few centimetres and the dogs did not have any water, according to police.

Witnesses told police that the animals had been in the vehicle for at least 30 minutes.

No prolonged distress

The dog owner was located and was charged under the new Animal Welfare Act. The fine for a first offence is $500.

The dogs were immediately provided with water, cooled off and did not suffer prolonged distress.

Police reminded the public temperatures inside a parked car become much higher than the outside temperature, and opening the windows a little does not protect animals. If you're going shopping, police said, leave your pet at home.

The Animal Welfare Act came into effect in April.

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