[District Atty] – With summer underway, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey is reminding pet owners of the deadly consequences and legal penalties of leaving animals unattended in vehicles.
“As temperatures rise, leaving pets alone in vehicles is not only cruel, it’s a crime,” District Attorney Lacey said. “In Los Angeles County, we cherish our pets. Don’t make the lethal mistake of leaving your pet in a hot car. If you love them, please leave them home.”
District Attorney Lacey commended Westfield Corp. for their support of this important community initiative at a news conference this morning at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks. Also on hand was Nomo, a 13-year-old white Labrador, who is the designated spokesdog for the pet summer safety campaign.
More than 180 security guards at seven Westfield shopping centers have been trained to respond when animals are found in locked vehicles on mall grounds.
California Penal Code section 597.7 makes it a crime to leave a pet unattended in a vehicle under any condition that could cause harm to the animal. A first offense for a pet owner can be an infraction punishable by a fine or a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of up to six months in county jail. Owners also could be charged with misdemeanor or felony animal cruelty.
The law allows peace officers, humane officers and animal control officers – but not others – to take all steps reasonably necessary to remove an animal from a car, including breaking into a vehicle.
The summer pet safety campaign includes cautionary posters in English and Spanish that will be displayed at Westfield shopping centers in Arcadia, Canoga Park, Culver City, Sherman Oaks and Valencia, among other locations.
Shoppers are encouraged to contact Westfield security if they see unattended pets in vehicles parked at the mall. In any other setting, residents should contact their local animal control agency. If an animal in an unattended vehicle is in distress, call 911.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Tweet This
Facebook
Digg This
Bookmark
Stumble
RSS
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
11 Comments
I think Stephen is missing the point; if you put your dog in your car on a warm day, it IS the same as willfully putting your dog in an oven. If you don’t put your dog in your car on even a warm day, there will be no possibility of forgetting it in the car. It is a choice to put your dog in the car rather than leave it safe at home.
How could you accidentally leave your dog in your car when it’s over a hundred degrees outside? I bet you’d have a hard time leaving your wife in the car if it was 100 degrees if perhaps let’s say she was even sleeping. We should not need a sign reminding people to not leave things in their hot car that my die. How about a sign that if you leave your pet (dog,cat,person, ect.) the car and its hot you lose your privileges to own a dog and you shouldn’t have children. Putting a sign up explaining to people that they’re ignorant is not going to help them become intelligent. Don’t care about your animal. Don’t get one
Some people may not realize how hot it gets in there. I didn’t say they were smart….
Right !!!!!
Okay Mr. Literal calm down
Okay Mr. Literal calm down
People are stupid. We don’t have to argue about that.
But, more signs, posters, people’s awareness, warnings, or arrests and it may help with having less of these tragedies. I call every time I see a dog left in a car.
Those people should have more consequences and required training on caring for a living being.
People are stupid. We don’t have to argue about that.
But, more signs, posters, people’s awareness, warnings, or arrests and it may help with having less of these tragedies. I call every time I see a dog left in a car.
Those people should have more consequences and required training on caring for a living being.
Hot dog!!
Denise Gonzalez
Tuesday while driving through the Marshals Stevenson Ranch parking lot, some owner decided to tie his little dog to the door handle and let the dog hang out in the asphalt. That can’t be ok either!