Dogwalker in hot seat for leaving dogs in car in freezing temperatures
By Maryam Shah, Toronto Sun
First posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2016 02:13 PM EST | Updated: Tuesday, January 05, 2016 02:27 PM EST
TORONTO - Are you the dogwalker or do you know the dogwalker involved? Give us a call at 416-947-2211 or an e-mail at torsun.citydesk@sunmedia.ca.
A story about several dogs left inside a car during Monday’s extreme cold weather alert prompted a woman to call a Toronto radio to offer a spirited defence.
Global News first reported the story Monday, when reporter Angie Seth said she and a cameraman came across a car with dogs sitting inside — on a day when the city had declared an extreme cold weather alert and temperatures plunged below -10C.
When the woman driver returned, she said, “You want to sit in here? It’s warm” before shutting the car door on Seth’s questions.
A woman called in to the John Oakley Show on AM640 on Tuesday saying she had done nothing wrong.
The car windows were fogged up because the dogs had just been on an hour-long run in a park and that she had only stopped to drop off a prescription.
“I was going to explain to (the Global News reporter) and then I thought why do I have to explain this to you,” the woman told AM640.
“I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years, I’ve never put a dog in harm’s way whether it’s cold or heat,” the woman continued. “So, the fact that I have to defend myself is sort of a little interesting.”
Toronto Police Const. Victor Kwong noted that “in the winter, it is not as black and white as the summer” and that different breeds handle the cold in different ways.
Mary Lou Leiher from Toronto Animal Services would not comment on the specifics.
“But in general, for sure, I would just be cautious about leaving your dog in a car unsupervised in any extreme weather,” she added.
Among cold weather pet safety tips on its website, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals warns owners to “never leave your cat or dog alone in a car during cold weather.”
Dogwalker in hot seat for leaving dogs in car in freezing temperatures | Toronto
By Maryam Shah, Toronto Sun
First posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2016 02:13 PM EST | Updated: Tuesday, January 05, 2016 02:27 PM EST
TORONTO - Are you the dogwalker or do you know the dogwalker involved? Give us a call at 416-947-2211 or an e-mail at torsun.citydesk@sunmedia.ca.
A story about several dogs left inside a car during Monday’s extreme cold weather alert prompted a woman to call a Toronto radio to offer a spirited defence.
Global News first reported the story Monday, when reporter Angie Seth said she and a cameraman came across a car with dogs sitting inside — on a day when the city had declared an extreme cold weather alert and temperatures plunged below -10C.
When the woman driver returned, she said, “You want to sit in here? It’s warm” before shutting the car door on Seth’s questions.
A woman called in to the John Oakley Show on AM640 on Tuesday saying she had done nothing wrong.
The car windows were fogged up because the dogs had just been on an hour-long run in a park and that she had only stopped to drop off a prescription.
“I was going to explain to (the Global News reporter) and then I thought why do I have to explain this to you,” the woman told AM640.
“I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years, I’ve never put a dog in harm’s way whether it’s cold or heat,” the woman continued. “So, the fact that I have to defend myself is sort of a little interesting.”
Toronto Police Const. Victor Kwong noted that “in the winter, it is not as black and white as the summer” and that different breeds handle the cold in different ways.
Mary Lou Leiher from Toronto Animal Services would not comment on the specifics.
“But in general, for sure, I would just be cautious about leaving your dog in a car unsupervised in any extreme weather,” she added.
Among cold weather pet safety tips on its website, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals warns owners to “never leave your cat or dog alone in a car during cold weather.”
Dogwalker in hot seat for leaving dogs in car in freezing temperatures | Toronto