I’m heartbroken after our dog collapsed and died when the pet sitter put him in a hot car in middle of heatwave
A FAMILY have been left devastated after their dog collapsed and died when a dog sitter left it in their car on the hottest day of the year.
Andrea Brown left her Bernese Mountain dogs Banjo and Bisto in the care of a dog walker last Friday to go away for the weekend with her family.
She dropped them at around 4pm - with an agency she had used before - on a day temperatures soared to over 32C amid a sweltering heatwave in Britain.
But without permission, Andrea claims the dog sitter put the pooches in the back of the car and took them for a walk.
By 8pm, Banjo was dead before the mum from Kingsholm in Gloucester could even say goodbye.
Andrea told GloucestershireLive: “The dog sitter had called me all in a panic to say Banjo has collapsed.
READ MORE DOG STORIES
" I heard nothing then until the vets called me to tell me my dog was dead.”
Andrea explained how the dogs had a "lovely day having their doggy ice creams" in the shade of her garden and in front of a fan inside the house.
The dog sitter was meant to let the dogs "in and out throughout the day" and was due in again at 8pm to let them out in the garden.
But instead of doing this, the sitter took them into the centre of Gloucester.
Most read in UK News
Andrea added: "I do not even know why they were out with my dogs in the first place.
“You especially cannot take them out when it was hot like it was on Friday.”
The heat of a car can double in just half an hour in hot temperatures.
That means if a car is sitting in heat of 32C like it was on Friday - it will double to an unbearable 64C in just half an hour, meaning Andrea's dogs may have been subjected to perishing heat.
Andrea then got a frantic call from the dog sitter saying Banjo had collapsed and he was rushed to the vets.
The mum "could not believe" what she was hearing when the carer told her she had put the dogs - which have a huge heavy coat - in a hot car and driven into town.
I do not even know why they were out with my dogs in the first place
Andrea Brown
But Andrea was too late and she arrived to find her beloved dog "dead on the vets table".
The vet later told the devastated dog owner they had found Banjo in the car which "was like a sauna".
Andrea is now desperately calling for witnesses who may have seen what happened in the four hours the dogs were with the sitter.
It comes as drivers are being warned that the hot weather could land them with hefty fines.
According to laws that changed only last year, a £5,000 is on the cards as well as a possible five-year stay in jail.
Led by Battersea Dogs Home, the prison sentence for cruelty to animals was upped from six months to five years.
Read more on the Irish Sun
Shocking figures from the British Veterinary Association recorded a three-year high in the number of dogs left in hot cars in 2019.
HOT DOGS
Car heat will kill dogs, here is what to do if you think one is in danger:
First check to see if the owner is nearby.
If you’re near a shop, inform the staff and security, they’ll be able to make a shop-wide announcement to alert the owner.
The local police have the authority to break a car window to rescue an animal in danger but you should not attempt to gain access to the vehicle as you could be fined for criminal damage or injure the animal inside the car
If there’s no alternative, you should first check the doors to see if the car has been left unlocked.
If you do have to break a window to save the animal make sure you call 999 and let the police know what you’re doing and take photos and videos to clearly record the situation.
Source: Nationwide Vehicle Contracts