Dog cooked alive

South London Press

News

Dog cooked alive

Oct 17 2003
By Court Reporter

THIS is the body of Muffin - slowly cooked alive after being left in a car while her owners enjoyed a day out.

The elderly springer spaniel suffered in unbearable temperatures of more than 100F for THREE-AND-A-HALF hours while her owners visited the Imperial War Museum.

Also left in the car was George, a younger spaniel who managed to survive the ordeal.

On Monday this week, owner Douglas Bamsey pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog, at Camberwell Magistrates' Court.

RSPCA inspector Ian Gough told the South London Press: "It was a terrible, terrible mistake. This family went out for a lovely day out, but they just didn't think."

On May 4 this year, Mr Bamsey and his young family travelled down from their Oxfordshire home for a visit to the Kennington museum.

They brought their two dogs with them.

A statement of the RSPCA inter-view with Mr Bamsey, presented to the court, describes how after driving around for 20 minutes they eventually found what they thought was a safe parking spot, in the shade of trees and houses in nearby West Square.

The car window was left open an inch for ventilation.

What they hadn't considered was the movement of the shadows and sun during the day.

As the family strolled around the museum, the highly distressed dogs were suffering in intolerable heat.

The temperature outside was 72F. Inside the car the RSPCA estimate the temperature was more than 100F.

It was 3pm, after a phone call from a concerned passer-by, before police arrived and freed the dogs by smashing the car windows.

George, the younger spaniel, quickly recovered but after lengthy treatment at Battersea Dogs Home and Putney Animal Shelter, Muffin died.

A statement by a vet who examined the dead dog, states: "The high temperature causes the protein content of the blood to cook - akin to the scrambling of eggs."

She states the area of the liver had literally been poached.

The statement also adds: "In this case, it appears that the two dogs competed initially to get under a shelf in order to get out of the direct sunlight, but there was only room for one dog."

Mr Bamsey, 42, of Meadow View, Witney, Oxfordshire, was given a nine-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs of £1,382.

RSPCA inspector Mr Gough later told the South London Press: "We have had more calls out this year for this than I can remember, especially with the hot summer we have had.

"It may not necessarily be hot outside but a car is going to be like a greenhouse."

And he warned other dog owners: "Please think about what you are doing.

"We will prosecute."

RSPCA

* The RSPCA was called out 750 times last year to deal with reports of dogs suffering in hot cars

* Already, the number of call outs this year has reached 517.

RSPCA Inspector Ian Gough said: "I suspect these incidents are a lot more common than those we come across."

* During this summer's heat-wave, the RSPCA were STILL called out to reports of dogs being left in cars - even when outside temperatures were touching 100F

* The RSPCA also warns dog owners not to leave pets in hot conservatories or hot sheds for any length of time.

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