The two dogs were spotted locked in a hot car at 10:50 a.m. July 27 at the Canadian Tire in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Jasmine Eccleston

A Kamloops resident who discovered dogs locked in a hot car yesterday is left feeling frustrated by the owner's response, and she's not alone.

Jasmine Eccleston noticed two large dogs locked in a vehicle with the windows up at Canadian Tire at 10:50 a.m., and she worked with several other bystanders to resolve the situation.  

"It's 35 degrees out, this is not okay," she said. Her boyfriend went back into the store to find the owner. 

"I called the police, and unfortunately they wouldn't do anything," she said. "I said the dog is panting and needs water."

She said police told her that unless the dog was in extreme stress and passing out, there was nothing they could do. 

"He said just be calm, don't start an argument, don't smash a window… because you'll get charged with vandalism," she said.

The two dogs were spotted locked in a hot car at 10:50 a.m. July 27 at the Canadian Tire in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Angèle Carrière

She said she wasn't informed of alternate recourse, other than finding the owner.

By this point, a small group of concerned shoppers had gathered around the vehicle, one of whom was Angèle Carrière.

"I tried to call bylaw," she said. "She couldn't do anything for me, all she could do was try to give me a 1-800 number for the SPCA hotline."

Then the owner came out of the store, and Eccleston asked her if she could roll down her windows or bring her dogs inside, as Canadian Tire is pet friendly.

The woman told Eccleston that she had been stuck in line, and to mind her own business. 

"(She) opened the door turned the AC on, and went back inside," Eccleston said. "Because it was a wireless key as soon as she got a couple feet away, it turned off again."

READ MORE: BC SPCA urges pet owners to take a pledge not to leave pets in hot cars

Eccleston said the owner returned five minutes later, and she asked her once again to leave her windows open or provide water for her dogs, as they had been in the car for almost twenty minutes.

"She opened the door, and I was right next to it and I just felt a blast of 60 degree plus air," Eccleston said.

"One dog tried to jump out of the car and she pushed it back in and closed all the doors again."

Eccleston said the owner told her and the others who had gathered that her dogs were fine.

"All she did was scream at me and tried to push me out of the way," Eccleston said. "She just got really mad at me."

The owner loaded her shopping into her car and left at around 11:15 a.m., Eccleston said.

Photos of the vehicle with the dogs trapped inside were posted to several Facebook groups, sparking outrage in the community and hundreds of comments.

"These poor dogs were going crazy with the heat," Eccleston said. The whole situation left her feeling frustrated, and unsure of what recourse to follow if she encounters this again.

According to a Kamloops SPCA representative, they recommend calling the RCMP non-emergency line immediately.

"As per legislation, we aren't able to break into the car or anything," the representative said. "We can only monitor the dog to make sure it doesn't go into distress."

Another option is to contact the SPCA cruelty investigation hotline, providing as much information about the owner as possible.

To find out how to recognize signs of extreme distress in animals, and other additional steps you can take when you see a dog in a hot car, click here.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Brie Welton or call (250) 819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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