Petition calls for greater powers to save dogs locked in hot cars

A CAIRNS animal cruelty incident in January has sparked a petition that has attracted signatures from all over the world.

A Cairns incident where a dog died after being locked in car has inspired a petition calling on breaking into vehicles to save animals to be made legal. Vet Nurse Colleen Finn and her dogs Sonny and Lilly agree with the petition. PICTURE: STEWART McLEAN

A CAIRNS animal cruelty ­incident in January has sparked a petition that has ­attracted signatures from all over the world.

The Change.org petition is calling on the Queensland ­Attorney-General to legalise breaking into locked cars to rescue a distressed animal after an incident on Wharf St sparked petitioner Cheryl Cogan’s outrage.

One of two dogs left in a locked car on January 5 was euthanised and another had to undergo medical treatment.

The dogs’ owner, Graham Oakes, was attending court at the time and is now facing two counts of animal cruelty.

Ms Cogan said the “make breaking a window to save a life non-chargeable” petition was just 115 signatures short of the 1000 names she hoped to collect before presenting it to Parliament.

YAPS treasurer manager Carol Clifton said she supported the idea.

“If the windows are down on a car with a dog in it just a little, that’s not enough, ­especially in our heat up here,” Ms Clifton said.

“I’d do it myself and take the consequences. How would you feel standing there watching a dog dying?”

Greencross Earlville vet nurse Colleen Finn supported the petition but said it could be hard for passers-by to tell if an animal was ill.

“I guess every situation is different but we need people who can tell the animals are distressed,” she said.

Only RSPCA inspectors have the power to break into cars and free dogs in danger.

Cairns RSPCA manager Rob Harvey said in hot weather his staff could receive ­dozens of phone calls each day about animals in cars.

RSPCA Queensland media spokesman Michael Beatty said he knew of 73 instances in Cairns in which dogs were locked in hot cars in the past ­financial year.

The petition is at chn.ge/2abhLqh

Originally published as Petition calls for greater powers to save dogs locked in hot cars