A Chippenham van driver was left disgruntled when he’d found out a police officer had smashed his vehicle’s window to rescue his dog which was showing signs of heatstroke.
Police were called to a car park in Gladstone Road, near Borough Parade, by a member of the public expressing concerns for the welfare of a cocker spaniel locked in the van at around 2.30pm.
PC Chloe Jenkins took action when she arrived at the scene because the dog looked “visibly distressed” as temperatures rose to above 22 degrees centigrade.
A parking ticket found affixed to the vehicle was issued around an hour prior to their arrival, meaning the dog was likely to have been left for even longer than that.
When the driver arrived back at his van at around 3.15pm he is said to have been angered by the police officer’s actions – and stated he saw no problem with what he had done.
PC Jenkins said: “At approximately 2.30pm today, the temperature in Chippenham was 22 degrees – when it is this warm outside, temperatures inside a vehicle can reach 47 degrees within the hour. This is unbearable heat for a dog and this dog in particular was clearly distressed and in desperate need of a drink of water.
“The owner of the dog was disgruntled with our actions and told us that his dog regularly stays in his van in the heat and he saw no problem with this.
“There really is no excuse to leave your dogs in cars in this heat – you may not feel particularly hot outside but cars can heat up extremely quickly. Please do not risk the lives of your pets.
“It is extremely disappointing to be called to incidents of this nature – we are a nation of dog lovers after all so please think carefully about your actions and leave your dog at home when heading out in your vehicle even if you don’t intend on going out for long as plans can change and temperatures can increase dramatically during the day.”
The owner of the dog has been given strong words of advice and will be referred to the RSPCA.
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