TWO people have been cautioned for animal cruelty following the death of a husky puppy which died after being left in a hot car during soaring temperatures.
As temperatures reached well over 20 degrees on Sunday, members of the public in Enniskillen were alerted to a dog which had been locked inside a car in a carpark on the Wellington Road around 2pm.
It is believed that the dog was a six month old Husky puppy and none of the windows in the car had been left open. The window of the vehicle was broken by a member of the public in order to rescue the distressed animal, which was rushed to a local vet where it was pronounced dead.
Police confirmed that two people have been cautioned for animal cruelty and they will be formally interviewed in due course.
Lesley Moore, a veterinary surgeon at Brook Veterinary Clinic said it was too late when the dog arrived at the vets : “There was nothing that we could have done for the poor dog. Nobody sets out to do this and it was an absolute awful outcome. The owners are completely devastated.
“A dog is a family pet and it was very distressing for everyone involved. There were a lot of people who came on the vehicle and it is not something we want to see happening or something owners should have to go through.
“We would see one or two cases of heat-stroke in dogs every year, but this is the first case we have had where the animal has unfortunately died.”
Just two weeks ago, police issued a warning after concerned members of the public noticed a dog who had been left in a warm car during the Enniskillen 100.
In this case, the dog was taken out and looked after by officers near a pub in Arney until the owner of the dog was found.
Ms Moore added that dog owners should be aware of the high risks heat can pose to animals as dogs can start to feel the effects in as little as 15 minutes.
“These things can happen very quickly. At this time of the year, do not leave dogs in the car. If need be, they would be better to stay at home than being closed in a car. As the temperatures rise, a dog can be getting into trouble within 15 minutes.
Dogs are not as good as regulating their temperatures as we are. Heavy coats, dogs carrying weight or flat face dogs would be more prone to heat stroke. In this case, it was a Husky so the heavy coat would have been a factor,’ said Ms Moore.
A spokesman for the police praised the efforts of the members of the public, and added, “We understand that this type of incident provokes a strong emotional response in us as human beings however we would ask that you keep in mind that this is a live police investigation and that comments should be kept appropriate and sensitive to that investigation. Enquiries into this incident are ongoing.”
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Posted: 6:00 pm July 17, 2019