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OPP issue plea about pets left in cars

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With the return of the warm weather, police again are receiving reports of motorists leaving pets in their vehicles while they shop and run other errands.

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“On a day where the temperature is 26 degrees C, the temperature inside a vehicle parked in the shade reaches 32 degrees C,” Const. Ed Sanchuk, spokesperson for the Norfolk OPP, said in a news release.

“This is extremely hot and can have devastating effects on your pet.”

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Dogs and cats can’t sweat like humans and really suffer when locked in a hot vehicle. When the upholstery heats up it is impossible for them to cool down.

“Your pets will be more comfortable if left at home,” Sanchuk says.

The potential penalties in Canada for negligent animal abuse are high. Causing unnecessary suffering can result in a maximum jail sentence of five years.

Injuring or endangering an animal also carries a maximum five-year sentence. Simple neglect is punishable with jail time of up to two years.

“The OPP want to stress the importance of leaving your animals at home in comfortable conditions and not in a hot motor vehicle,” Insp. Joe Varga, chief of the Norfolk OPP, said in a statement.

“If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for your pet.”

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