22/01/2025
🐾Here are some Top Tips & Facts from the RSPCA WA page about Perth's hot weather plus leaving dogs or pets at home during this heat wave🔥
🔥A reminder to please keep your dogs at home, and what to do if you see a dog in a hot car! 👇🔥
Since 1 December we've had 123 heat-related cruelty complains and, given the weather today and what's forecasted for the rest of the week, we are dreading the number of dogs in heat distress or worse. 😟😓
Over the weekend, our inspectors attended a shopping centre carpark after receiving a report about two small-breed dogs who were confined in a vehicle. The outside temperature was 41 degrees.
‼️Astoundingly, the owners told the inspector that they had discussed whether to leave the dogs in the car, or if one of them should stay with them with the aircon on. They chose to both go shopping, attending different stores to speed up the process, leaving the dogs behind.
The dogs thankfully are okay, but their situation could have turned deadly in a matter of minutes. If you love your dog, leave them at home. A quick visit to the shops could cost your dog their life. Don't put your dog's life at risk.
Save, screenshot, and this for future reference! 👇
If you see a dog in a hot car:
🐾 Identify signs of heatstroke.
🐾 Note down the vehicle's registration number and location and report it immediately to the RSPCA Cruelty Hotline on 1300 278 358 (1300 CRUELTY) or call WA Police on 131 444.
🐾 If you're at a shopping centre, ask the centre management to page the owner of the vehicle by reading out the registration details.
🐾 Keep an eye on the dog until help arrives but maintain a suitable distance to ensure you don't agitate the dog, which could cause further distress, making the dog even hotter.
🐾 Gather as much evidence as possible (vehicle details, time and date, photos of the dog in the vehicle).
It's an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2002 to cause unnecessary harm to an animal, and offenders can be prosecuted and face up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Let's keep our pets safe, WA!