As temperatures soar into the 90s this week, pet owners should refrain from allowing dogs to be outdoors for an extended period of time.
Gretchen Grasser, the humane officer for the Washington Area Humane Society, warned that she will be issuing citations to those who violate Pennsylvania’s law on leaving dogs outside in extreme heat or freezing temperatures.
The law forbids dogs from being left tethered outside for more than 30 minutes when the temperature is above 90 degrees or below 32 degrees.
“This is where the law kind of stinks – it only applies to dogs that are tethered, unattended,” Grasser said.
According to Grasser, she can issue a citation for a summary offense that can range from $50 to $750, and potentially 90 days in jail.
“Unfortunately, I get a lot of calls from 911 that people have their dog outside for hours at a time,” Grasser said.
She added she has also responded to situations in which dogs have died after being left outside in the extreme heat.
“That is a felony offense in Pennsylvania. We’ve made great strides to get to where we are with that,” Grasser said.
According to Grasser, if the situation is dire, she also has the ability to remove the dog from the premises. However, she is currently limited by the capacity at the humane society facility along Route 136 in Eighty Four.
Kelly Proudfit, the organization’s executive director, said the shelter is currently at capacity with nearly 100 animals.
“We have over 100 animals, including the fosters,” Proudfit said. “We probably will continue to be at full capacity until September.”
In this situation, Grasser said she has to more closely monitor households that are violating dog laws.
“We do have to be about retention, and constant followups to make sure those people are improving,” Grasser said.
Luke Szymanski, director of operations for Fayette Friends of Animals in Uniontown, said their shelter, too, is currently at capacity.
“It’s a crisis pretty much in every state,” Szymanski said.
According to Szymanski, the shelter is housing about 75 dogs in the facility. However, he was not as concerned with the heat adding any extra strain.
“I feel like it doesn’t have much of an effect,” Szymanski said.
Fayette Friends of Animals does not have a humane officer on staff, but refers calls to Rodney Coldren, a licensed humane officer in Fayette and Greene counties.
“He is very thorough. We trust him, and we refer people to him,” Szymanski said.
For the Washington Area Humane Society, Proudfit said they are “desperate” to place animals in homes. They are beginning to put photos of adoptable animals on billboards along Interstate 70 West near the Jefferson Avenue exit.
“We do whatever we can to get these dogs out of situations, and cats, but unfortunately there is only so much room,” Proudfit said.