A FEMALE beagle kept in a hot car for more than an hour on the Durban promenade is lucky to be alive after it was rescued by the SPCA on Wednesday morning. At the time outside temperatures sat at 26 degrees and the humidity level was at 40 percent.
Roshen Rupee, senior inspector at the SPCA, said he received a call from a concerned member of the public who noticed the dog panting heavily in a Mercedes-Benz parked outside the Bike & Bean shop. The local resident who reported the incident was upset at the sight of the trapped dog.
The owner who had gone cycling, later claimed she left water for the pooch and the windows open.
“The person who phoned said the dog had been in the car for 20 minutes. It was almost an hour later when the owner returned. When I got there, the window was rolled down barely enough for me to put my arm through and reach down to the door handle.
The minute the beagle was out, her tongue was extended showing signs of dehydration. Rupee gave the overheated pooch some water.
“She was clearly dehydrated and I saw no sign of any water left for the dog. The car was facing in an easterly direction which is where the sun rises, and the temperature inside the car was stifling,” he said.
The owner who arrived approximately an hour later was furious at Rupee for opening her car door.
“I had initially wanted to take the beagle back to the SPCA but I didn’t want to stress the animal out further. I released her back into the owner’s care and gave her a warning,” he said.
Rupee added dogs were particularly at risk if left in cars, as they cool themselves by panting.
“If the air around them is too hot, particularly if they don’t have access to water, they cannot regulate their body temperature. This could have been fatal for the pooch,” he said.
