Statement
on death of Nottinghamshire Police Dogs:
Dogs
Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, is saddened to
hear about the death of two German Shepherd dogs who were found
in a vehicle parked outside the Headquarters of Nottinghamshire
Police on Tuesday.
Whilst
the cause of death is still to be determined, the charity would
like to remind dog owners and police dog handlers that leaving your
dog locked in a car can prove fatal, particularly during a heatwave.
It can take just twenty minutes for a dog to die and temperatures
reaching over 40 degrees in some vehicles.
Dogs
Trust has compiled three essential tips for owners to help their
dogs beat the heat:
1)
Walk your dog in the morning and evening when the weather is cooler
and make sure shady spots and drinking water are available.
2) Clip the fur of particularly hairy hounds and apply canine sun
cream to areas most likely to burn: ears, nose, and belly. Human
suncream can be toxic so buy a special pet version from your local
pet shop.
3) Be extra vigilant with older and overweight dogs as they are
more prone to overheat. In a real emergency wet your dog thoroughly
and use a household fan to blow cool air over their head and body.
Seek urgent veterinary attention.
If
your dog shows signs of distress – such as excessive panting,
blueness of the tongue or collapse contact your local vet immediately.
Further note issued by Dogs Trust, 3rd July 2009:
Dogs Trust would like to confirm that the two police dogs who were
sadly found dead in a vehicle parked outside the Headquarters of
Nottinghamshire Police on Tuesday were not Dogs Trust dogs.
Nottinghamshire
police do not have a Dogs Lay Visitors’ Scheme supported by
Dogs Trust, designed to protect police dogs’ welfare. Our
policy is to refuse to rehome to police forces not participating
in this scheme.
Parked Cars Cook Dogs
Last summer D for Dog launched a campaign to raise awareness of
the dangers of leaving dogs in parked cars on warm days. You can
help us spread the word by telling other dog owners how lethal parked
cars can be to dogs left inside them. You can also help spread the
word by printing off one of our posters or flyers, which are of
course free to download. See Parked
Cars Cook Dogs for more information.
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