Halifax-area man fined nearly $700 for leaving dog alone in hot car

RCMP are reminding people not to leave their pets in vehicles unattended after a 71-year-old man was fined $697.50 on Saturday in Fall River, N.S.

Someone reported finding a dog in a car in a parking lot along Highway 2 around 3 p.m., according to a news release from Nova Scotia RCMP. The person opened the door and took the dog out while waiting for police.

When officers arrived, they ticketed the dog's ownerunder the Animal Protection Act forcausing an animal distress, RCMP said.

"On a warm day, even with the windows open, a parked vehicle quickly becomes like a furnace and creates potentially fatal conditions for pets left inside," the release said.

It also said that calling the Nova Scotia SPCA can help determine if a dog is actually in distress.

Police are asking peoplewho see an animal in distress to look for the owner, including going into nearby stores to have them paged. If that doesn't work, RCMP advises people to call local police and stay with the vehicle until someone arrives.