Community Corner

Warnings Issued to 6 Who Left Dogs in Cars

Temperatures in the vehicles ranged from 96 to 141 degrees.

Over the past two weekends, the Putnam County SPCA has issued 6 warnings to individuals leaving their pets in vehicles throughout Putnam County, SPCA officials said.

Temperatures in the vehicles ranged from 96 degrees to 141 degrees.  

In all cases the dogs were heavily panting and left without water.  SPCA officers were able to locate the owners before the pets went into distress and issued Warnings in the hope of educating the owners as the warmer weather starts to bring in the summer.

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The SPCA would like to remind pet owners not to leave them unattended in parked vehicles, especially during periods of extreme heat. Temperatures in vehicles can rise 40 or more degrees above the outside temperature causing suffering, irreversible damage to their health, and possible death of the animal. It is a crime in New York State if the animal, left in a vehicle, is subjected to such heat and is punishable by a fine upwards of $100 or more. If an animal goes into distress as a result of it being subjected to extreme temperatures in a vehicle, the owner may be arrested for animal cruelty, a Class A Misdemeanor, and face a fine upwards of $1000 or jail time up to one year. 

The Putnam County SPCA Humane Law Enforcement Department has begun random patrols of all shopping center parking lots within the county during warm days and will continue to do so throughout the summer months as a proactive effort to prevent heat related injuries.

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The attached sign has been distributed to interested businesses throughout the county to remind patrons to STOP and think about the consequences should they decide to leave their pet in a hot car. It can be downloaded and printed from the Putnam County SPCA’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PutnamCountySPCA?ref_type=bookmark

The public can contact the Putnam County SPCA at our 24 hour animal cruelty hotline at 845-520-6915 or through our website: www.spcaputnam.org Calls can be kept confidential.

 


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