How does Clark County animal control handle pet welfare calls in the summer? — VIDEO

As temperatures hover in the triple digits in the Las Vegas Valley, what happens to pets left outdoors or in cars?

Jason Allswang, chief of Animal Control and Code Enforcement for Clark County, shared the procedures for officers responding to animal welfare calls during the hot summer months.

A vast amount of calls they respond to come from the northeast and southeast valley, Allswang said, but as temperatures get warmer, officers have seen an increase in western Las Vegas.

The extent of the response depends on whether or not the caller is anonymous, if the responsible party is home and if there is an excessive heat warning in place.

When an excessive heat warning has been issued by the National Weather Service, “dogs and cats must be provided with supplemental cooling to adequately reduce the temperature to a normal range for the species, ” according to Clark County Municipal Codes 10.32.130 and 10.32.135.

“In the past, they just needed water and shade. Now we require that when there’s one of the alerts, [pets] also have an additional way to cool themselves — whether it be with a misting system, a fan, a swamp cooler [or] a kiddie pool with water where they can go in and cool off, some sort of mechanism — and that’s mandated by law now,” Allswang said.

OUTSIDE

If the owner isn’t home and the caller asks to remain anonymous, handling the situation beyond leaving a pamphlet on the door can be challenging.

If officers can hear that a pet is whimpering, they can check on the animal a few hours later.

If the animal is in distress, they’ll contact the reporting caller — anonymous or not — (unless the call came from a blocked phone number) and work with them to either look through the caller’s windows or from their backyard.

Because animal control officers are prohibited from entering the pet’s backyard without a warrant — which also prohibits them from leaving water for the pet — they must be able to see the animal in clear view.

However, if officers can see that the pet is in absolute life-threatening danger, officers are permitted to immediately rescue the pet without a warrant.

Should the owner of the pet be home at the time of response, animal control will speak with the homeowner to educate them on the danger of leaving animals in the heat and ask to see both the area where the animal stays in the backyard, as well as the pet itself.

In the event that officers are called multiple times to the same home, for the same issue, the owner could receive a citation.

IN CARS

Allswang said his team is seeing less calls about pets being left in cars as they normally do in the summer.

However, it still happens.

Should you come across a pet that has been left in a vehicle, know that the general public does not have the authority to break someone’s car window to remove an animal.

Animal control officers, police and fire are the only organizations that actually have the authority to do so, though that’s a last resort. Allswang said many times the vehicle is unlocked.

Officers will remove the pet from the car and leave a note — along with several warning signs — for the owner informing them that they can reclaim their pet from the Animal Foundation.

A staff member at the Animal Foundation would then contact animal control to appear on-site and give the owner a citation before allowing them to claim their pet.

If an owner were to appear during the rescue, they would receive a citation.

If you’re worried that an animal is in danger, animal control’s dispatch can be reached from 6 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at 702-455-7710.

After hours, call 311 and a Las Vegas police dispatcher will contact the animal control officer on duty.

Contact Caitlin Lilly at clilly@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @caitielilly_