Who would/should you call to help a dog locked in a hot car?

[moosemama]

I have had to call for help today after some people pointed out a dog locked in a car in full sunshine in temperatures in excess of 26/7 degrees. (We were parked in full shade and the temp on our display was reading 24.)

Called the police on 101, they cut me off three times, then put me through to the local branch, who said 'we don't do animals' and told me to call the RSPCA.

Had to Google to get the the RSPCA 'emergency' number and that took what felt like hours, as there was no signal on my phone. When I did get through on the number I was kept waiting for almost 15 minutes listening to them advertising their website and asking for donations while the poor dog suffered.

Eventually got through and it took a good 10 minutes for them to take my details and those of the dog/location etc. They wanted my address and phone numbers first (after the recorded message said they would use my details to target marketing [hmm). Then they wanted a description of the dog and it's markings and how distressed it looked etc, when I had the car type, colour, distinguishing marks and reg number, plus the location, precisely where it was parked and told them it had been there for at least 50 minutes that I knew of, but the car had been there since I arrived, so in all probability it could have been there even longer.

They said they'd dispatch someone asap, then five minutes later I got a call from the local RSPCA control centre to say they had no-one available ... so had called the police out. Which should have been what happened when I made the first call via 101 and then the dog wouldn't have been in the car for an extra half an hour while they messed me around.

By this time the dog had been in the car for around 50 minutes that I knew of, while I desperately tried to get some help. I wish I could have broken in and got it myself, but I wouldn't know where to start and no-one else wanted to get involved (plus I'd have been done for criminal damage - although if it had saved the dog I'd have lived with that).

We had to drive up the road to get a signal on the mobile and were late to pick up my dcs from school (ds1 has ASD and I can't be late to pick him up from school) so couldn't go back to check on the dog again and don't know when help arrived, if the car was still there when they did or what the outcome was.

It was awful, I felt shaky and sick both with worry for the poor dog and sheer frustration at not being able to get help. I can't believe it survived for that length of times in those temperatures, but am desperately hoping help got there in time.

The ridiculous thing is there is nothing there, just a country walk and small cafe with loads of tables outside where dogs are welcome - so no reason to leave a dog in the car, as there's nowhere to go without it.

What else could/should I have done?

So glad you got a positive update to reasssure you.

Hopefully the ignorant git will think twice about his dogs welfare next time.

I called the RSPCA about a fox in my garden. I know people don't like foxes and I understand why, but this poor thing had his leg literally hanging off. It was obviously in shock. They said that they wouldn't come out for foxes. But surely an animal in pain is an animal in pain? They told me to pick him up wrapped in a blanket and put him in my shed and then take him to the vet the next day. I didn't because I was scared of getting bitten. Anyway, someone must have been braver than me and taken him to the vet as I used to see him around from time to time with only three legs

Blimey, I was suprised to see this thread revived - it's a month old!

YoungBritish, I don't think it was deliberate.

pud11, nope - it's still criminal damage, although if the dog looks like it is in serious distress, I have since been told you can get police permission to break a window ... but they don't have to give it.

I have never had any luck calling the RSPCA. If I possibly can I call a local rescue place instead. Unfortunately in the 'dog in hot car' situation I was in, they couldn't have done any more than me - unless they carry something that could be used to smash a car window.

OldBag, yes. All we can do is hope that the owner might have learned something that day and that the PO was p'd off enough to give him a proper serve, even if he didn't actually give him a warning or caution.

I saw a video that was circulating on fb yesterday asking if people had the guts to smash a car window if they saw a dog in distress in a hot car. The dog I saw was no way near as bad as the one in the video and I would have been in a terrible position if it was, because there was nothing I could use to break the window with anyway.

Strangely the fb video appears to have been removed today. Not sure why, perhaps because it's inciting people to commit criminal damage? There should definitely be some sort of exemption or official police line to say you can get their permission to smash the window if an animal is dying due to being left in a hot car?

Article in Daily Mail online www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2372397/Dog-left-car-sweltering-30C-heat-rescued-setting-alarm.html

What the actual - how stupid can people be. It's too hot outside a care at the moment, let alone inside one with a blooming great fur coat on. Looked like a double coated breed as well.

So not even the dog warden would smash the window without the police there.

I don't understand why the police have informed the RSPCA - the owners have committed a crime and the police are able to prosecute them for that. They don't need the RSPCA to do it for them.