As weather heats up in Oceanside, Nadine Durante has a special message for area residents.
If they plan to go shopping or doing errands on a hot day, they should either leave their pets at home or put them in care.
“Please, please don’t leave your pets in a hot car, even for a short time,” she said. “Death can occur in just 10 minutes. That’s all it takes.”
Pet owners who are uncomfortable leaving their dogs, cats or other charges alone have options, she added.
“We have doggie daycares in the area,” she said. “If you are going out and about, why not consider that?”
It doesn’t have to be stinking hot for animals to run into trouble, either.
When it’s 22 degrees outside, the temperature inside a vehicle can hit as high as 47 degrees within just one hour.
Under the Animal Welfare Act, owners have a legal duty to care for their pets and can face criminal charges, should their animal suffer.
Signs of dogs in distress include heavy panting, profuse salivation, a rapid pulse, very red gums or tongue, lethargy, lack of co-ordination, inability to get up, vomiting, diarrhoea or, in extreme circumstances, loss of consciousness.
For more information, call the SPCA at 248-3811.