Raising awareness of the dangers of hot cars
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Twelve organisations have teamed up to spread an important message among dog owners this summer.
Rescue and rehoming charities, veterinary associations, police, and welfare organisations are all working together to ensure owners know the dangers the warm weather can pose to dogs over the summer months.
The RSPCA receives thousands of reports of dogs suffering from heat exposure every year - that equates to one call every hour.
Already this summer the RSPCA have been called to three dogs which tragically died in a hot car.
Although the animal welfare charity records these calls as heat exposure in dogs - which can include dogs outside who are suffering from the heat, or dogs in conservatories or caravans - the majority of these incidents are dogs in hot cars.
In 2015, the RSPCA received 8,779 calls to report incidents of dogs suffering from heat exposure - more than 3,000 more than in 2010. But the number of calls did drop compared to 2014, when the charity saw a high of 10,229 incidents.
Incidents of dogs and heat exposure in England & Wales
Year Number of incidents reported to RSPCA
2009 5,726
2010 5,741
2011 6,305
2012 6,176
2013 6,424
2014 10,229
2015 8,779
The RSPCA and other organisations in the UK have teamed up to launch this year’s ‘Dogs Die in Hot Cars’ campaign to try to bring down this number of calls and raise awareness of the dangers of leaving dogs - and other pets - in hot environments.
Dog’s Trust, The Kennel Club and #TeamOtisUK are the latest groups to join the campaign, which is in its second year, with the support of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Blue Cross, British Veterinary Association (BVA), The Mayhew Animal Home, National Animal Welfare Trust, The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), PDSA and Wood Green Animal Shelter.
Dogs Die in Hot Cars It’s important to remember not to leave any animal in a car or caravan, or in a conservatory or outbuilding, where temperatures can quickly rise, even when it doesn’t feel that warm outside. For example, when it’s 22C outside, within an hour the temperature can reach 47C inside a vehicle, which can result in death.
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