'Leave your dog at home!'

Owner fined after dog rescued from a hot car in Vaughan

Newstalk1010.com
July 28, 2015
By Dave Bradley

It would seem, some people still aren't getting the message. Yet again, another dog needed to be rescued from a closed up vehicle on a day where the temperature warmed up to more than 31 degrees. York Regional Police say the dog was left in a silver Audi, around 11:30 on Tuesday morning at Vaughan Mills Mall. When discovered by mall security, the animal was in visible distress. There were no windows open and no water left for the animal. Constable Andy Pattenden says "the temperature would have been unbearable in that car." The mall has taken a pro-active approach to trying to stop incidents like these from happening, hiring security staff to monitor the parking lot before it's too late. The person returned to the vehicle and was charged under a Vaughan bylaw, that targets people who 'expose animals to extreme temperatures in motor vehicles.' That fine is $800, and when you tack on the extra fees, it works out to $930. If there's one message Pattenden is trying to get across, it would be a simple one. "Leave your pets at home."