'An avoidable tragedy': Calgary woman charged after dog dies in hot car

A Calgary woman is facing charges for the death of her dog, which died after being left in a hot car on Canada Day.

The incident happened in the 0-100 block of Mount Copper Green S.E. in the community of McKenzie Lake.

Police say they were called to the area at 5 p.m. on July 1 for reports of a dog in distress inside a vehicle.

They arrived to find the dog lying unresponsive on the floor of the vehicle.

The windows were up and the doors were locked.

"Witnesses informed the officer that they had observed the dog panting so heavily that the car was shaking, and the dog eventually stopped responding to knocks on the window," police said in a Thursday news release.

Officers broke a window to get to the dog, but it was already deceased.

The dog was a four-year-old female Alaskan Malamute/German Shepard crossbreed named Lucky.

Investigators believe Lucky was left in the car for more than two hours, at which time the temperature outside was approximately 20 C.

Environment Canada's data shows the high temperature in Calgary on July 1 was 21.7 C. 

An Alberta SPCA graphic from the organization's website shows the dangers of leaving a pet in a car on a hot day.

District 8 Acting Insp. Scott Neilson said investigators had to wait more than 30 minutes for the owner to return to the car.

Lucky's owner, Kaitlyn Rose Folkins, 30, has been charged with one count of causing damage or injury to an animal and one count of causing an animal to be in distress.

She is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 2.

'Boggles my mind'

Speaking to CTV News, Neilson said it's becoming "less and less rare" for police to be called about animals left in hot cars, saying they've already received "hundreds" of calls this summer.

"It boggles my mind," he said. "It should be common sense that leaving an animal in a hot vehicle is irresponsible and can have serious consequences, including death.

"Dogs can't sweat. They get hot, and it gets extremely uncomfortable very quickly. So it doesn't matter whether you're in there for two minutes or two hours, it's bad decision making period.

"I know today we've had a number already," he said. "We had some yesterday too, and the temperature was 34 C, so you can imagine that's even magnified more inside of a vehicle."

He said the Canada Day incident was elevated to a criminal matter because it was "so egregious."

Though the incident occurred several weeks ago, Neilson said investigators had to await necropsy results before determining if charges were warranted.

"The dog was in tremendous distress. It just got worse and worse with every minute," he said. 

"Lucky’s death was an avoidable tragedy."

'It's a terrible death'

Brad Nichols from the Calgary Humane Society says the decision to leave the dog in the vehicle was reckless.

"This was a lengthy amount of time," he said. "The dog itself was a Malamute/German Shepherd cross, so a large breed with long hair.

"This is the worst case scenario," he added.

"It can be deceiving how hot it is outside compared to how hot it is inside a vehicle because they become ovens, right? And animals, unfortunately, if left in these vehicles, they cook from the inside.

"These animals suffer significantly, and it's a terrible death."

Nichols confirmed, as Neilson said, that there are "hundreds" of calls every year over animals left in hot cars.

"Air conditioning is the only curative measure for a dog in a hot car, but air conditioning does fail," he warned.

Area resident Jeff Smith was surprised to hear of the incident.

"It's tragic no matter which way you look at it," he said. "The pure irresponsibility… you need to be held (accountable). No question about it."

Another resident, Chris Smith says he doesn't understand how it could have happened.

"It's absolutely crazy. I can't believe someone would do such a thing."

How to help

Parachutes for Pets is offering a cooling space at the organization’s building, located at 6120 1A St. S.W.,for people to take their pets for temporary relief from the extreme heat.

If you see an animal alone in a vehicle on a warm or hot day, police say to call 911 immediately.

You can also report an animal left inside a hot vehicle to Calgary Humane Society by calling 403-205-4455.