A dog died on July 23, 2018, after it was left in a hot car in the 2700-block of Veterans Memorial Parkway in Langford.
A Victoria woman has been charged with animal cruelty after her dog died when it was left in a hot car last July.
Stephanie Skinner is facing one count of causing an animal to continue to be in distress under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
On July 23, 2018, Skinner allegedly left her Boston Terrier, named Ava, in a car for seven hours, with all of the windows in the vehicle closed. The dog was dead when Skinner returned to her vehicle in the 2700-block of Veterans Memorial Parkway.
Police were called to that area at around 6 p.m. for a report of a woman trying to resuscitate her dog in a parking lot. Police said at the time that when they arrived, they found the woman trying to resuscitate her dog but she was not successful.
The BC SPCA said temperatures in the area reached 30 C that day.
“This is such a tragic and preventable case,” Eileen Drever, senior office, protection and stakeholder relations for the BC SPCA, said in a statement.
“Every year, the BC SPCA and other animal welfare groups warn people about the dangers of leaving their pets in hot cars. Even 10 minutes in a hot, unventilated car can be fatal for an animal – an animal left for seven hours in those temperatures would not have stood a chance.”
Skinner will make her first court appearance on March 28 at the Western Communities Courthouse. If she is convicted, she faces a maximum fine of $75,000, up to two years in jail, and up to a lifetime ban on owning animals.
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