A Whanganui dog boarding and daycare business has been fined $11,177, after a dog died when she was left in a hot car for over eight hours in late 2022.
Pet Dog School Limited was sentenced in Whanganui District Court today to pay a fine of $7000 to the SPCA and $4177 in reparations to the dog's owners.
Maisie, an adult black Labrador, was delivered to the business in November 2022.
Dogs board at a daycare facility and then overnight at the company owner's home.
On November 23, the owner took four dogs, including Maisie and her own, to the daycare facility from her home, according to the SPCA.
Two dogs were removed on arrival at around 7am. Later, the owner's dog was removed from the front seat between 9.30am and 10am, by a staff member who was unaware Maisie was in the vehicle, which was parked in the sun with all its windows up.
Maisie died during the day and was later discovered by the owner at 4.50pm.
"Expert opinion determined Maisie would have felt trapped, panicked, extremely thirsty, distressed, dizzy and lethargic. She would have panted until the point of exhaustion."
A postmortem examination showed Maisie had suffered from heat stroke, or a seizure caused by heat stroke, which resulted in her death, according to the SPCA.
The organisation's chief executive Todd Westwood said "utter negligence" from a business entrusted and paid to provide care to animals was "unforgiveable".
"The shock and grief will have been enormous for Maisie’s owners, not only from losing a beloved family member, but knowing that she suffered right to the end."
He said the "tragic and totally avoidable incident" served as a reminder of the danger of leaving animals unattended in cars.
"Any member of the public who sees a pet trapped inside a vehicle that looks like it's suffering from heatstroke or stress, call the police or SPCA immediately."
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