‘Unresponsive’ dog found in hot Kelowna car earns $100 fine, broken window

When a Kelowna RCMP came upon an unresponsive dog in a hot car, he smashed the window and ticketed the driver $100 upon their return.

Police were called to the 1000 block of Sunset Drive in Kelowna around 5 p.m. on June 26, according to a release from the Kelowna RCMP.

At that point the dog had been in the car for about 90 minutes, according to witnesses.

When an officer arrived he saw an unresponsive dog in the car. The temperature outside was 30 Celsius and in the car was 40 C, according to the release. The officer reported that it would be unreasonable to delay getting the dog out.

“He decided to breach the driver side window and roused the dog with water,” the release says.

Shortly after, the driver returned and got a $100 fine for endangering an animal.

“This is a reminder that pets can not handle the summer heat and are at risk when inside a hot car,” Const. Mike Della-Paolera said in the release.

“The RCMP will make it a priority to respond as quickly as possible, but would rather see the problem addressed though prevention before an animal is put into a potentially fatal situation.”

For anybody who comes across a distressed dog in a parked vehicle, the RCMP’s advice is to get the license plate and vehicle info and then ask nearby businesses to page their customers. Reports can be made to the Kelowna SPCA during business hours by calling 250-861-7722, or call 9-1-1 if it’s an emergency.

“The Kelowna SPCA will troubleshoot with RCMP and RDCO Animal Control to assist when pets are in a hot car and are at risk of heatstroke,” the release says.

Members of the public are reminded that it’s illegal to break a window to access the vehicle themselves.

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