Lincoln Animal Control talks pet safety after dog dies in heat wave

Lincoln Animal Control has been seeing an increase in calls about dogs being left out in the dangerous heat. 

Animal Control Officer Scott Lowry says they are on-average getting four to five calls a day. 

Animal Control responds to every heat-related call they receive and try to get in contact with owners as soon as possible. However, despite warnings about the dangers of leaving pets in the heat, Lowry says deaths because of the heat still happen. 

“We had one this week, a Pitbull in a backyard. He got wrapped around a post and was unable to get to shade and he succumb to heat,” Lowry says. 

And Lincoln is not alone. In Omaha, the Nebraska Humane Society is also busy making rounds. Four dogs have died there recently because of the oppressive heat. 

During the summertime, it’s not uncommon for animal control officers to face these kinds of calls. 

“It’s not easy to see but unfortunately when we see temps start to rise…every summer…we see these kinds of deaths with animals,” Lowry says. 

If you have to leave your pet outside, they must have access to a shaded area and water at all times, even if they are outside just briefly. Without that, or if a pet is left in a vehicle, could be grounds for a ticket, or the loss of an animal’s life.

Lowry reiterated to Channel 8 that “when temperatures get into triple digits, we will issue misdemeanor citations for violations of city ordinance in relation to animal neglect.”

So far this week, Animal Control says they have received about 30 calls for possible animal neglect. So far, they’ve only encountered one death.