A West Australian woman who left a dog in a car on a 38C day has been found guilty of animal cruelty.
Adele Culverwell, 65, a dog breeder of Muckenburra near Gingin, was convicted in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday.
Her dog Roxy, a two-and-a-half year old Borzoi, has been cared for by the RSPCA since the offence in December 2012.
Members of the public had seen the dog locked in a panel van in the car park of the Carousel Shopping Centre in Cannington and complained to the RSPCA.
An RSPCA inspector took the dog to a veterinary clinic, where it was diagnosed with heat stroke and had to be treated with cooling techniques and given fluid intravenously.
Culverwell was charged after refusing to accept that her actions had caused Roxy considerable suffering and harm, the animal welfare agency said.
The case is believed to be the first of its kind in the state.
"We welcome the decision of the court today because it sends a clear message to the public - don't leave your dog in a car in warm weather," RSPCA chief inspector Amanda Swift said.
"This message has been out there in the public domain for many years and some people are still putting their dogs at risk of serious long-term health problems and even death by cooking them."
Last summer, the RSPCA received almost 600 calls about dogs in hot cars.
In the vast majority of cases, the people concerned were horrified to learn that they could have seriously harmed or even killed their dog, she said.
Ms Swift said Culverwell had refused to rule out doing the same thing again.
She will be sentenced on August 8.
Share
