Animal Control Report: Dog in Hot Car, Sunbathing Fox

Animal Control officers in Alexandria deal with a variety of calls every week. Here's a glance at some recent incidents in the city courtesy of Patrick Cole, the director of communications and outreach at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. 

Dog in hot car — On May 17, a dog owner was issued a formal warning for violating Alexandria’s law about leaving pets confined to a vehicle when them temperature climbs to 70 degrees or higher.

An Animal Control officer was dispatched to the 100 block of E. Custis Avenue after receiving a report from someone who noticed a dog confined to a parked vehicle while the outside temperature recorded at 82 degrees.

The officer observed the dog loose in the car, but outside of some panting it did not appear to be in distress. The caller, who remained on the scene, said the dog had been inside the car for about 10 minutes. Though the front windows of the vehicle were cracked a few inches, the temperature in the car was above 91.5 degrees. 

When the dog’s owner arrived, they were issued a formal warning for violating the ordinance.

Alexandria Animal Control reminds the public that the temperature inside a vehicle, even in as much as 70 degree heat, can rapidly rise to dangerous levels. A pet can quickly suffer serious injury or death in such situations.

Animal Control is authorized to issue a fine of $200 and confiscate such an animal if the owner cannot be located.

Sunbathing fox — An Alexandria Animal Control officer was dispatched to the 100 block of Duke Street on May 18 in response to a resident concerned about a sunbathing fox.

The caller reported a fox was inside the home’s fenced-in yard and said the animal appeared to be healthy.

By the time the officer arrived on the scene, the fox had jumped a fence into another yard and could not be located. The officer advised the caller about behaviors that could indicate a health problem or danger to the public, including partial paralysis of limbs, circling, staggering, self-mutilation, unprovoked aggression and acting unnaturally tame.

Word remains out as to whether the fox achieved its desired tan.

For more information about Alexandria Animal Control, visit the AWLA website.