A professional dog walker has been jailed after leaving two spaniels in her car on the hottest day of the year, causing their deaths. Christine Carpenter, 55, of Ringwood, Hampshire, left Poppy and Pixie in the boot of her car while temperatures reached 29C, following the Met Office's first ever extreme heat warning.
The court heard the dogs, an 11-year-old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and a five-year-old spaniel cross, were dead within minutes. A vet examination found their internal temperatures had reached the maximum the thermometer could record. Owners Roy and Kate Narbey were 'devastated' by the loss of their pets, whom they had left in the care of someone they considered a friend.
Carpenter had picked up the dogs at around 12.30pm on 22 July 2021, taking them and her own rescue dog to Kingston Great Common nature reserve. Mrs Narbey had requested only a 'half hour quick walk' due to the heat and offered Carpenter a drink, but she declined, saying she was worried about leaving the dogs in the car.
When the dogs were not returned by 5.30pm, Mrs Narbey became concerned. Carpenter eventually answered the phone, saying: 'I'm panicking because I can't wake the girls up.' Despite being rushed to the vets, both dogs were 'gone' within minutes. Carpenter said: 'I only left them for a minute, I love them like they are my own.'
In a victim impact statement, Mrs Narbey said: 'Since the sudden loss of our dogs, I have changed. I have become withdrawn and lack confidence. Before this happened I loved my home - now there are memories everywhere.' Carpenter was investigated by the RSPCA and jailed for her actions.
