Aussie dog owner's 'shocking' act sparks fury
Onlookers are calling for the dog owner to be punished.
An Aussie dog owner could be charged with animal cruelty after his pet was spotted tied up to a parked ute for hours in the middle of a scorching hot day.
In a photo shared online, the German shepherd can be seen lying on the ground behind the vehicle, only partially covered by shade. A long leash appears to be extending from its collar to the side of the ute, while a water bowl sits in the sun.
Locals outraged by dog act
Temperatures soared to 32.9 degrees on Monday at Queensland's Sunshine Coast where the incident occurred, and the person who found the dog said it was left unattended for several hours.
"I am leaving now after two hours and the dog is still there under the sun on a very hot day," the man who took the photo posted on Reddit. "He has some water but the good boy seems a bit agitated and I am not sure what to do. I am not from this area so I don't know if this is OK. I just know that I wouldn't want to be in the dog's situation."
Scores of locals responded, urging the witness to report the "pretty shocking" incident and have the dog's owner punished for animal cruelty. One even submitted a welfare complaint to the RSPCA along with the image, while others attempted to contact local businesses to help remove the animal.
"Sick of seeing things like this, it makes my blood boil," one user wrote, while another responded, "he's going to die there".
In a later update, the witness said he later returned to the dog. "I put my finger in his water and of course it was hot," he said. "I took my water bottle and put some water in it and the dog came to me and started drinking water from my hand as I was pouring more and more.
"Then the dog went again closer to the car, and only half of his body was under the shadow. We also moved his water under the truck so it doesn't continue getting hot."
Dogs must be 'supervised'
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Sunshine Coast Council said all dogs tied up must be under "direct supervision" and failure to do so would result in a $309 on-the-spot fine. While regulations around tethering animals may differ between councils, dogs cannot be left tied up and alone.
According to local laws, "a dog is under effective management in a public place if it is restrained to a fixed object and is under the direct supervision of a person who is physically able to manage the dog".
"Direct supervision means the supervising person is physically present within a proximate distance of the animal under supervision, such that the person is able to respond immediately to manage the animal's behaviour."
Situation all kinds of wrong
A spokesperson for RSPCA Queensland told Yahoo it does "not promote tethering as a permanent means of containment, no matter what council area you live in".
"The RSPCA would discourage tethering a dog to a vehicle in a car park for several reasons," the spokesperson said. "The heat of the day enhances heat felt from the ground; the heat of the ground could cause water provided to also heat up; if unattended, dogs are at risk of entanglement; the dog could become injured from another vehicle in the carpark; concern a vehicle accident may result if a driver in the area is startled by a dog; the dog is vulnerable to any person in the area who could cause the dog harm or release it; and concern for any injury the dog may cause to passers by."
The spokesperson urged anyone who witnesses any act of animal cruelty to contact the RSPCA Hotline to report the matter "as soon as they become aware".
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