Calgary woman arrested after leaving dog to die in hot car
“It boggles my mind that we continue to receive calls for service related to animals left in hot vehicles”
Calgary Police have charged a Calgary woman whose dog died after being left in a hot car on Canada Day.
At approximately 5 p.m. on Monday, July 1, police responded to reports of a dog in distress inside a vehicle in the 0-100 block of Mount Copper Green S.E. Upon arrival, an officer located the vehicle and observed a dog lying unresponsive on the floor. Witnesses informed the officer that they had observed the dog panting so heavily that the car was shaking, and the dog eventually stopped responding to knocks on the window.
The windows of the vehicle were up and the doors were locked. The officer entered the vehicle by breaking a window in an attempt to rescue the dog, who was later identified as a female four-year-old Alaskan malamute, German shepherd crossbreed named Lucky. She was located deceased inside of the car.
As a result, Lucky’s owner, Kaitlyn Rose Folkins, 30, has been charged with one count of causing damage or injury to an animal under section 446(1)(b) of the Criminal Code. She has also been charged with one count of causing an animal to be in distress under section 2(1) of the Alberta Animal Protection Act.
FOLKINS will next appear in court on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024.
Investigators believe Lucky was left in the enclosed car for more than two hours, at which time the temperature outside was approximately 20 degrees C.
“It boggles my mind that we continue to receive calls for service related to animals left in hot vehicles,” says District 8 Acting Insp. Scott Neilson of the Calgary Police Service. “It should be common sense that leaving an animal in a hot vehicle is irresponsible and can have serious consequences, including death and charges, like what has happened in Lucky’s case. Lucky’s death was an avoidable tragedy, and I’m asking Calgarians to think of her the next time they consider leaving an animal inside of a car on a warm or hot day, even for a short period.”
The Calgary Police Service and Calgary Humane Society want to remind Calgarians that the temperature inside a vehicle can rise to dangerous levels in as little as a few minutes. A partially open window does not effectively lower a vehicle’s interior temperature, nor does the availability of water. Never leave an animal unattended inside a vehicle on a warm or hot day, even for a short time – they are safest at home.
Calgary Humane Society Director of Enforcement and Vice Executive Director Brad Nichols says: “Leave your dog at home – there are no excuses for leaving an animal unattended in a vehicle in hot weather. Dogs do not regulate body temperature like humans; they don’t sweat and are so much more susceptible to heat-related injury.”
“What are you willing to lose? A windshield? A pet? Money to pay a fine? Your freedom due to incarceration? It’s all at risk if you decide to leave an animal in a car in the temperatures we are currently experiencing. We shouldn’t be fielding hundreds of these types of calls every summer. For the animal’s sake, if you see something, say something. You may be the only one advocating for that suffering animal.”
If you see an animal alone in a vehicle on a warm or hot day, call 911 immediately. Be prepared to provide your location and the vehicle’s licence plate number, make and model, and a brief description.
Calgary Police Services Media Release
