After getting reports of more than 600 dogs left in hot cars over the past four summers, a Windsor woman is saying "enough is enough."
Rose Owens runs Pet Patrol, a volunteer-run operation that drives around Windsor-Essex looking for animals that have been left in hot cars. Owens has long been an outspoken advocate for the issue and often putting pictures of the dogs she finds on the groups Facebook page in the "Pet Patrol Hall of Shame."
But now she's vowing to put an end to it.
Owens is organizing a peaceful protest in Windsor on Monday with the goal of getting a bylaw implemented that would mean a fine is given for anyone who leaves an animal in a hot car.
According to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) website, anyone who leaves pets unattended in vehicles may face charges under the OSPCA or the Criminal Code of Canada. Owens said, in the last four summers that she's run Pet Patrol, she's gotten calls about 618 animals left in cars across Windsor-Essex. She said the owners usually get a verbal warning from police but she has not once seen anyone arrested or charged. She said she believes that if there were stricter fines in place, it would make a difference.
"We want it to be a fineable law... just like when you get a speeding ticket, you have to go and pay that fine. That to me is going to eliminate people leaving dogs in hot cars if they're going to start getting fines for it, they're not going to want to keep on paying for the fines," said Owens. "Everybody else is fining. London, Toronto, Chatham. I can't understand why Windsor's not on board with doing this."
According to the SPCA, it can take only minutes for a dog to overheat in a car. When Owens gets a call about a dog in that situation, she drives to the scene and tries to locate the owner in addition to calling the police. She said she's heard various excuses from people including that their dog is fine because the windows were left down to telling her they were only in a store for a few minutes.
With extensive media and social media coverage about the dangers of pets in cars, Owens believes there is enough information out there that people should be aware of the risks at this point. Every time she comes across a dog in a hot car, Owens keeps a file on the call and keep tracks of license plates. This past week, she said she came across a "repeat offender." She believes the "slap on the wrist" punishment they get is to blame.
"This is the third time he was caught leaving his dogs in the car. The thing is, it's going to keep on happening. He told the bystander 'oh I won't do it again, I promise'. That person [already] told me the same thing twice," she said. "I've been on the news every year showing that this is wrong, we all know its wrong but they keep doing it."
Owens and her Pet Patrol volunteers will be holding their peaceful demonstration on Monday at Windsor's city hall building at 5:30 p.m.
"It's just letting people know we're out here, we're all volunteers. I spend anywhere from $6,000 to $8,000 a year of my own money to run this, to protect all these other animals that are not even mine."
She said anyone is welcome to join in supporting their cause adding that they are timing the protest to coincide with the city council meeting happening at 6 p.m. that same night. She hopes it will get the attention of councillors going into the building. For anyone unable to attend, Owens recommends signing the petition she created, available at the Pet Valu locations on Wyandotte Street East and Tecumseh Road East.
"This is the year I want it to become a finable law," she exclaimed. "I can't even express how angry I get, I can't even express the excuses I get."
