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

The owner of two dogs left in a parked car in the middle of a Kamloops heatwave said she "met the worst of humanity" this week, and has been wrongly accused of neglect.

Several people said they were concerned when they found two dogs inside a hot car with the windows closed, parked at Canadian Tire for about 20 minutes July 27. 

However, the owner insists her dogs were never in any danger. She contacted us after our story yesterday about the encounter but refused to give her name, fearing repercussions. Much of her version of the story is contested by other witnesses.

READ MORE: Dogs found locked in hot car in Kamloops sparks outrage

"The dogs weren’t in there for too long," she said, adding that she tried to take the dogs inside the store but the lab has anxiety and refused to leave the vehicle.

"I left the air conditioning running and I started it once when I went into the store and I had to start it over again because it took longer than I thought."

She explained that her car will idle for about ten minutes before it automatically shuts off. 

Witness Jasmine Eccleston strongly denies this claim, alleging that the AC turned off within two minutes of the owner returning to the store, and hadn't been on prior.

"I looked inside the window to see the dashboard, and it was all shut off," she said. "With the border collie, when the AC was on you could see its hair moving, and as soon as the engine shut off you could see its hair stopped moving."

The owner did not leave water in the car for the dogs, as she said they didn't need it.

"The dog wasn’t panting because he was hot, he was panting because he was afraid for his life," she said, referring to the lab with anxiety. "I was very upset, I felt that I failed the dog, and not failed him for leaving him in the car, I failed the dog (for not) protecting him from these people."

She said she didn't leave the windows open because she didn't want her dogs to be stolen.

She said the crowd gathered around her vehicle had upset the dog, and it was all too much.

"I felt pretty abused myself from all of this," she said. "They were also Covidiots. They could see I was wearing a mask and that I have trouble breathing. It’s like they didn’t like that, either."

She said one woman came very close to her, yelling and spitting in her face.

In light of the backlash she faced, the owner is considering other options for the anxious dog that will allow her to leave him at home.

However, she said if she has no other options, she may bring him in the car with her on future errands. 

"The only danger that they were in, is that these people went absolutely crazy for no reason," she said.

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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