Panaji: Panaji police detained a Karnataka native on Monday after his Golden Retriever died from heat and suffocation in a locked car while he spent over four hours at a casino.The pet parent, identified as Bharat KC, allegedly left the dog in the vehicle without keeping any of the windows partially open for ventilation. The heat –– maximum temperatures in Panaji are currently in the range of 31-33C –– didn’t help.The golden retriever tried to chew through the car mat in distress before suffocating, said Stephen Samuel, field officer of the District Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.The organisation wrote to Panaji police, requesting them to register an FIR, secure CCTV footage from the vicinity of the casino to identify the vehicle and have it seized.“Panaji Animal Welfare Society informed us about the trapped pet and a resident present at the scene called police. By the time police arrived, the dog suffocated to death due to extreme heat and lack of oxygen inside the car,” Samuel said.This is the fifth instance of a pet dying in the area under similar circumstances. “In the previous four cases, we weren’t able to take action. This time, we will aggressively pursue the case,” Samuel said.An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday to determine the medical cause of the dog’s death.The complaint mentions that anyone keeping an animal as a pet is legally responsible for its well-being and that leaving the dog in the car was a” deliberate act of negligence that directly caused the animal’s death”.Samuel urged people not to leave dogs unattended in vehicles for more than 30 minutes and keep windows partially open for ventilation while preventing the animal from jumping out. He said people ferrying pets in their cars should always park in the shade.
