A dog owner has been fined $300 for tethering their dog to their vehicle — in direct sunlight — in a Metro Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Costco parking lot.
A Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»man, who did not want to be identified, said he was taking a family trip to Costco on May 5 when he spotted the dog around 3:30 p.m.
“The dog was panting, the dog was scared, the dog looked frightened and skittish,” he recalled.
He noticed the dog was tethered to the rear of the Range Rover with the leash sticking out of the truck. The dog was underneath the vehicle near the muffler and was unable to get into the shade.
The man called bylaw officers and sent photographs showing the scene. Other people brought the dog some water and allegedly waited 45 minutes for the owner to return to their vehicle.
“It was just not cool,” he said. “I don’t think those people should own a dog if they’re going to treat a dog like that.”
Video he captured shows a dog lying on the ground in the direct sun with a red solo cup of water.
An animal control officer can be heard asking two people if they own the dog. They say "yes," followed by "it’s too hot inside the car."
“Is there any reason he is not at home?” asks the officer.
“Ugh, it won’t happen again,” said the person.
“The reason we take this so seriously is we see animals die from this often, far too often,” said the officer.
The City of Burnaby said animal control was notified about the incident at 4:15 p.m. and an officer arrived at 4:35 p.m. and was directed to the animal by the complainant and a Costco employee.
"The dog was tethered in direct sunlight and unable to access shade due to the short length of the tether,” said city spokesperson Chris Bryan.
"The dog, which lacked visible identification, was panting heavily but not in immediate distress.”
Roughly 10 minutes after the officer arrived, the owner returned to their vehicle.
"The officer provided education on the dangers of heat exposure, safe tethering practices, and relevant bylaw requirements,” addd Bryan.
Three bylaw violation notices were issued totalling $300 in fines.
People are being reminded that even brief heat exposure can be harmful to pets. On warm days, it’s safest to leave dogs at home with access to shade and cool water.
Animal control officers can be contacted daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. if anyone witnesses an animal in distress.
