'You disgust me': Woman hits out at dog owner's 'cruel' act in 31 degree heat
A woman who claims a dog was tied to a pole in the sun in 31 degree heat while its owner went swimming has voiced her concern about their behaviour.
Ally Hensley told Yahoo7 that she was with her mother at about 10.30 on Friday morning at Bondi Beach when they came across the dog who was distressed, panting, pacing and crying.
Ms Hensley said the pet was tied to a railing next to some bins, but they were only providing “a little bit of relief” in terms of shade and added that the ground was “scorching hot.”
The 37-year-old claimed that she and her mum waited with the dog for “a good 45 minutes” trying to make it more comfortable in the heat, which she described as stifling.
“My conscience wouldn’t have been ok walking away,” Ally Hensley told Yahoo7.
Initially Ms Hensley said she was trying to get the pooch to drink out of her hand, but fortunately a mother lent their child’s bucket to them so the dog could drink out of that.
Ms Hensley also said she poured buckets of water on the dog’s back, watered down her paws, and tried to move the bins to provide more shade.
“I was furious and I could see the dog looking at the water. Her gaze was pretty fixed,” she recalled.
She called the number on the collar and left voice messages on the phone, but said the owner eventually came back.
Ms Hensley shared a post on Bondi Local Loop Facebook page on Friday along with a picture of the dog after the experience, and wrote to the owner: “you disgust me.”
“Please step away from your day at the beach and collect your distressed and panting dog!! Cruelty beyond,” she wrote.
One Facebook user commented that this is not the first time they had heard about dogs left like this.
“I’ve seen many a dog tied with no shelter or water whilst owners spend sometimes over 2 hours on the beach,” the Facebook user wrote.
Another person said it was “absurd” and a different social media user added they would happily watch a dog and keep it cool if someone left their dog with them on the beach.
Ms Hensley said she did not really know what to do in the situation and added there needs to be more awareness about how to respond if someone comes across this sort of thing.
“Animal owners – please consider what you would consider humane in exchange for a dip in the ocean,” Ms Hensley pleaded.
The RSPCA website says all animals are susceptible to heatstroke and the organisation suggests a number of ways dog owners can prevent the condition during hot weather, including to provide pets with a cool, shaded area with good ventilation at all times, make sure they have plenty of clean fresh water, don’t leave them in a car and do not exercise them in hot, humid conditions.
Yahoo7 has reached out to the RSPCA for further comment.
