10 animals had to be rescued from hot vehicles in Waterloo Region in June, police say

Despite the warm June we have experienced, Waterloo regional police say they have received 10 calls in which residents have reported that people left pets in vehicles.

“Temperatures inside can quickly become hotter than the temperature outside, and cracking a window does not help,” police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The local service says that if you come across an animal that appears to be in distress while trapped in a hot car, call 911 immediately as it is an emergency.

So far in June, police have received 10 calls for pets left in vehicles.

With more hot weather on the way this week, remember to never leave pets or children unattended in a vehicle. Temperatures inside can quickly become hotter than the temperature outside, and cracking a… pic.twitter.com/tpsYXctSBG

— Waterloo Regional Police (@WRPSToday) June 16, 2024

Last week, police reported that officers had rescued a kitten from a hot car after it had been left alone inside a vehicle at high noon.

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They say that officers, after having called in the Kitchener Waterloo Stratford Perth (KWSP) Humane Society, had to force their way inside the vehicle to free the young cat.

Eventually, officers tracked down the owner of the vehicle and the Humane Society issued an offence notice.

A spokesperson for the Humane Society confirmed their officers were at the scene and that the kitten was returned to its owner.

“The kitten is doing fine,” they wrote in an email.

Environment Canada issued a warning of their own on Monday morning, warning that a good portion of  Ontario is expected to experience  “dangerously hot and humid” weather conditions” for most of the week.

The hot temperatures are expected to continue until Thursday or Friday, with daytime highs are expected to hit between 30 C and 35 C with humidex values of 40 to 45.

Things are not supposed to get much better when the sun sets as overnight lows are expected to be 20 C to 23 C with humidex values of 26 to 30.

*With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues