Bank Holiday heatwave prompts over 200 calls to RSPCA about dogs in cars

Despite temperatures reaching record breaking heights during the Bank Holiday weekend hundreds of dogs were left unattended in hot cars prompting over 200 calls to the RSPCA.

Although the charity issued a warning last week about the potentially fatal consequences of leaving a dog in a hot car the RSPCA received 217 calls from Saturday 5 May to Monday 7 May – around three calls every hour.

Dog owners in Hampshire were the worst offenders with the RSPCA receiving as many as 17 calls, followed by Greater London and West Yorkshire, which both had 12 calls each.

Last week the animal welfare charity revealed that in 2017 it received 7,876 calls in 2017 about animals in hot environments and urged owners not to leave their dog in the car over the hot Bank Holiday weekend.

The consequences of leaving a dog in a hot car could prove fatal with overheating dogs likely to experience heat stroke, dehydration and possibly death if left alone in scorching temperatures.

Parking the car in the shade with the window open can still cause heatstroke in dogs.

RSPCA campaign manager Holly Barber said that even your dog for a minute could have dire consequences.

Barber said: “Many people think it will be fine just to leave their pets for a minute or two but we know that this is all it takes for temperatures inside a car to soar to dangerous levels.

“Dogs die in hot cars - don’t let your pet be one of the number.

“We have been doing a lot of campaigning lately about the dangers of leaving your dog in a hot car, and it’s really worrying that despite this, some people are still putting their pets in dangerous situations

Barber added: “Our main advice to owners is not to leave dogs in cars and our main advice to passers-by is to call 999 if they’re concerned about an animal in a hot environment.”

The RSPCA full list of counties includes the number of calls received about dogs in hot environments from Saturday 5 May to Monday 7 May. The figures also include the number of calls received per county in 2017.

Figures by English region:

Bedfordshire - 0 (86)

Berkshire - 7 (124)

Bristol - 0 (83)

Buckinghamshire - 7 (104)

Cambridgeshire - 7 (146)

Cheshire - 1 (131)

Cornwall - 5 (115)

Cumbria - 2 (81)

Derbyshire - 8 (175)

Devon - 7 (258)

Dorset - 5 (149)

Durham - 6 (118)

East Yorkshire - 1 (109)

East Sussex - 4 (168)

Essex - 7 (267)

Gloucestershire - 6 (149)

Greater London - 12 (626)

Greater Manchester - 8 (244)

Hampshire - 17 (387)

Herefordshire - 0 (24)

Hertfordshire - 2 (140)

Isle of Wight - 2 (40)

Kent - 7 (273)

Lancashire - 5 (173)

Leicestershire - 2 (96)

Lincolnshire - 6 (171)

Merseyside - 2 (121)

Norfolk - 4 (170)

North Yorkshire - 5 (153)

Northamptonshire - 2 (103)

Northumberland - 1 (41)

Nottinghamshire - 2 (100)

Oxfordshire - 4 (104)

Rutland - 1 (6)

Shropshire - 2 (61)

Somerset - 5 (236)

South Yorkshire - 5 (163)

Staffordshire - 5 (129)

Suffolk - 5 (154)

Surrey - 9 (246)

Tyne & Wear - 5 (93)

Warwickshire - 2 (67)

West Midlands - 5 (198)

West Sussex - 2 (170)

West Yorkshire - 12 (223)

Wiltshire - 3 (103)

Worcestershire - 2 (93)