The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has teamed up with a coalition of rescue and rehoming charities, police, and welfare organisations to launch this year’s Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign to highlight the dangers that warm weather can pose to dogs.

Despite a major annual campaign each summer, last year saw a three-year high for the number of reports of animals suffering heat exhaustion. The RSPCA’s emergency line in England & Wales received 8,290 reports last year, despite key advice for members of the public being to report emergencies to police via 999 as officers can attend more quickly and have power of entry to locked vehicles.

Holly Barber, Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign manager at the RSPCA, said: “Last year was our busiest for three years with almost 8,300 emergency calls made to the RSPCA about this issue – that’s a 5% increase from 2017 and a 15% rise from 2016.

“It’s extremely concerning that despite all of our campaigning, dog owners are still ignoring our warnings and risking their pets’ lives by leaving them alone in cars on warm days. How many more dogs need to die before people realise that that split-second decision – usually made due to convenience – could have life-changing consequences?”