A woman in Langley, B.C. was injured in a confrontation that started when a dog was left in a hot car – and ended with a senior throwing a punch.
It all began when Judy Tina Dey parked in a thrift store parking lot on a scorching August day, and noticed a dog inside a car and in distress.
“[It was] panting, barking, turning around in circles in the car,” she told CTV News.
Dey tracked down the owner, who was shopping inside the thrift store, and was surprised by her age.
“She was dressed up really nice, and she had her jewelry on,” said Dey. “She looked like an innocent little senior lady.”
When Dey told the senior she shouldn’t be leaving her dog in the car on such a hot day, things began to deteriorate.
“She goes ‘pffft’ - and all of a sudden I got this right hook right in the jaw,” said Dey, noting that her face was left bruised and swollen. “And I was just so totally stunned. I'm thinking ‘Oh my God, that's assault.’"
Last year, the BC SPCA received more than 1,500 calls in five months for dogs in distress in hot cars.
"It's extremely dangerous to leave [pets] in a car,” said Lorie Choptyk, community relations manager of the BC SPCA. “Animals can only release heat through their paws and panting, so literally their insides are frying. It's like leaving them in an oven."
The RCMP says you never know how pet owners will respond in these situations, so if you see something that needs police attention, it’s best to call the cops.
As for Dey, she didn’t file a police report, but she did have a good laugh with her friends.
“A funny side of the story, but there are also dangers for the dog. And that’s what I was concerned about,” she said.
“I hope I have her stamina at her age – but I don’t want to go around punching people.”
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Jonathan Glasgow
