Airdrie’s fire chief issued a public warning about pets in vehicles during a weekend heat spike.
"It’s that time of year again to send this message out," Fire Chief Mike Pirie wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. "The interior of vehicles become so hot, so fast, it’s cruel to leave animals in them. Cracking a window or leaving water has virtually no effect on the interior temperature."
Temperatures in Airdrie reached 26°C that day before dropping on Sunday.
Pirie listed several signs of animal distress inside hot vehicles, including:
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Excessive panting or drooling that stops
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Tongue turns purple
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Frantic behaviour or attempts to paw or stick nose out of the vehicle
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Loss of bowel control
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Lethargy or unresponsiveness
"If you see an animal in distress don’t hesitate to call 9-1-1," he wrote.
Although this week’s temperatures are forecast to hover closer to 21–22°C, parked vehicle interiors can still reach dangerous levels. According to research from San Francisco State University’s Department of Geosciences, when the outside temperature is 21°C, the interior of a vehicle can reach 37°C within 20 minutes and 40°C by the 30-minute mark. Cracking a window or leaving water does not significantly reduce this risk, the data shows.
A 2024 incident in Calgary illustrates the danger. On Monday, July 1 of that year, Calgary police responded to reports of a dog in distress inside a locked vehicle on Mount Copper Green S.E. Officers arrived around 5 p.m. and found a four-year-old Alaskan malamute-German shepherd crossbreed named Lucky lying unresponsive on the floor of the car. Witnesses said the dog had been panting so heavily that the vehicle was shaking, then stopped responding to knocks on the window.
The vehicle’s windows were rolled up and its doors locked. A CPS officer broke a window to gain access, but Lucky was found deceased. Investigators believe the dog had been inside the vehicle for more than two hours while the temperature outside was approximately 20°C.
In a Calgary Police Service news release issued July 4, 2024, Acting Insp. Scott Neilson said: "It boggles my mind that we continue to receive calls for service related to animals left in hot vehicles. Lucky’s death was an avoidable tragedy."
Brad Nichols, Calgary Humane Society’s Director of Enforcement and Vice Executive Director, added: "Leave your dog at home — there are no excuses for leaving an animal unattended in a vehicle in hot weather. Dogs do not regulate body temperature like humans; they don’t sweat and are so much more susceptible to heat-related injury."
Nichols continued: "What are you willing to lose? A windshield? A pet? Money to pay a fine? Your freedom due to incarceration? It’s all at risk if you decide to leave an animal in a car in the temperatures we are currently experiencing. We shouldn’t be fielding hundreds of these types of calls every summer. For the animal’s sake, if you see something, say something. You may be the only one advocating for that suffering animal."
If you see an animal alone in a vehicle on a warm or hot day, call 9-1-1. Calgary Humane Society also accepts reports at 403-205-4455.
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