The District of Oak Bay is reminding drivers not to leave their dogs and pets in their vehicles during the hot summer months.

On Thursday, Oak Bay firefighter Lt. Kyle Beaumont took to the district’s social media account and offered tips on what to do with pets during the heat.

“You wouldn’t think so, but some of the calls we attend at the Oak Bay Fire Department are calls for public assist,” he says in the video.

“One of the most common calls for public assistance we receive, especially in the summer right now, is pets in vehicles, in which we never want to leave our pets unattended in a vehicle.”

Beaumont says the best thing to do is leave your pet at home or with a friend.

“Or, if possible, if you have one of the newer electric vehicles, sometimes they have a dog mode or something that can keep the air conditioning on while they’re away, and it gives people a visual prompt walking by that the dog is safe,” he said.

Beaumont stresses that it is still best to leave a pet at home, however, as it minimizes the risk of a pet overheating in a car.

Earlier this summer, the BC SPCA reminded residents that it can take as little as 10 minutes for dogs to overheat in a car on a hot day.

If you see an animal that’s in distress in a parked vehicle, the SPCA recommends that you mark down the vehicle color, make and license plate and ask nearby businesses if the vehicle owner is nearby.

If the animal is showing obvious signs of distress, you can contact the BC SPCA animal helpline at 1-855-622-7722, or call your local police or local animal control agency.

The SPCA recommends that people do not break the glass of a vehicle, which can put people and animals at risk.

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