Vaughan mall security patrols to protect pets

Most malls in our area have security officers patrolling parking lots on days as hot as today. They're looking for pets that might be left in cars.

But in Vaughan, the security team is taking further action to make sure things don't go wrong.

With a quick question, security officers ask drivers pulling into the Vaughan Mills Mall parking lot whether or not they have any pets in their cars.

“Disturbingly, so we do actually see a fair bit of people that do come to the centre with pets in their vehicles,” says general manager Stephen Gascoine.

The temperature inside cars can sometimes feel 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature.

Vaughan Mills started checking cars last summer after a dog was left in a hot vehicle. A chocolate lab died, and a couple from Sudbury was charged with animal cruelty. The shopping centre never wants that to happen again.

“We realized we could do more,” Gascoine says.

If a customer does show up with an animal, they aren’t turned away. But security will keep a close eye on their vehicle. A patrol car circles the parking lot and checks on animals.

If they’re concerned about a pet, they will call police. Meanwhile, despite the known dangers of hot cars, police still have to put out warnings.

“It’s sad that we have to remind people at all,” says Const. Blair McQuillan with York Regional Police. “You would think that not leaving your pet in a car is a matter of common sense. It’s important for people to know we will lay charges.”

Other malls CTV Barrie checked with aren’t going as far as Vaughan Mills. Gascoine says he thinks other businesses should be stopping and checking cars coming into lots on hot days.