Petition · past parliament

Introduce on the Spot Fines for Leaving Animals in an Unattended Private Vehicle

Closed 6,143 signatures

What the petition asks

Every year, despite numerous warnings in the media, there are reports of dogs dying in hot cars or being rescued close to death. The law on what bystanders and even the police can do is ambiguous and confusing. We need an obvious and enforceable deterrent to help prevent this recurring problem
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Many people still believe that it’s OK to leave an animal in a car on a warm day resulting in distress and sometimes death for the animal.

Bystanders and the police often have to watch dogs suffer whilst trying to find the owner. Many are unrepentant about their behaviour and will probably repeat it.

A publicity campaign and an option for police to issue an on the spot fine would act as a proper deterrent and statement that this is unacceptable and would thus reduce the number of occurrences.

Timeline

16 Jul 2018 Petition opened for signatures
16 Jan 2019 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 6,143
Status Closed
Opened 16 Jul 2018
Closed 16 Jan 2019

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.