Pet owner blasted for leaving husky in hot car
A Western Australian teen is furious after she spotted a husky struggling in a hot car.
Ruby Pleiter, 18, told Yahoo News Australia she was at Yallingup, south of Perth, on Tuesday when she noticed a couple walking their husky.
The teen said she was at the beach with her own dog and as she walked to the carpark at about 3pm she noticed the same husky in a car.
“I thought the dog’s owners might have been having a quick shower,” she said.
“But I looked around and couldn’t see them.”
Ms Pleiter said the car’s windows were down about 50mm - barely enough to fit a hand through.
“A couple walked past and recognised the dog,” she said.
“The woman ran off to find the husky’s owners. A lady, who’s a local around here, also came over with a water container for the husky.
“The dog was panting pretty badly.”
Ruby estimates the dog was in the car for about half an hour. She considered smashing the window but didn’t want to cause any trouble.
A man also tried to reach through and unlock the car but to no avail.
The RSPCA advises people who see dogs locked in parked cars to call Triple-0 immediately, warning it can take less than six minutes for an animal to suffer severe heat exhaustion in a car and die.
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On Tuesday, it reached 24C.
The couple returned to the car at about 3.30pm. Ruby said the woman was apologetic.
“She was like, ‘sorry, sorry’,” Ruby said.
“And I just said to her, ‘don’t be sorry to me - what was going through your head?’”
Ruby said it was “pretty ridiculous”.
“I was pretty angry - my family owns three dogs,” she said.
“Seeing something like that just gets me worried - especially for a husky with thick fur.
“That dog would have been so hot and confused and angry.”
The 18-year-old said she reported the couple to RSPCA WA.
RSPCA WA confirmed to Yahoo News Australia it is investigating the incident.
Chief Inspector Amanda Swift said people can’t leave dogs in hot cars.
“We’d like to remind people that it is never OK to leave a dog in a hot car. It can take just 6 minutes for a dog to die from heat stroke,” she said.
“If you love your mate, leave them at home. There is no excuse.
“If you see a dog in a hot car, please call RSPCA Cruelty Hotline on 1300 278 358 or WA Police on 131 444.”
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