During the recent summer heatwave in France, a man in the city of Nice spotted a dog left on the balcony of an apartment with only an umbrella for shade. A kind-hearted neighbor living above attempts to deliver some water to the dog via a bucket and rope.
In the short clip, the neighbor gets the bucket down to the Rottweiller’s level but the dog doesn’t manage to get any water and the neighbor pulls the bucket back up.
The videographer vocalizes his frustration, not only at the man’s failed attempt, but also at the dog’s predicament. “This is too much,” the man can be heard saying. He then says, “‘Oh, sorry, that’s all your water for today.’ What’s going on? Poor doggie.”
Other viewers agreed that the situation is not a happy one. Some people judged the neighbor, while others judged the dog’s owners for leaving the dog in such a dangerous situation.
“‘Kind neighbor’,” wrote one viewer. “He didn’t even give him a chance to drink the damn water.”
“It’s heartbreaking to see how much the dog tried to drink, and really never had the chance because the neighbor pulled the water-filled bucket back up far too quickly. Ouch! That actually hurt the sorry situation far more than it helped,” wrote another.
One viewer opinioned that the clip likely doesn’t show the whole story, saying, the neighbor “realized the dog couldn’t reach the water, so went to fix the problem. Why so negative, the man was obviously trying to help the dog was being blocked by the handle. Not much he can do about it.”
One viewer speculated that the neighbor caught sight of the man filming him, which might have embarrassed him. “The glance at the end makes me wonder if he pulled it up after realizing he realized his half-naked self was being recorded.”
More viewers reserved their criticism for the dog’s owner and thought a call to authorities was in order.
A viewer on YouTube commented, “He should report the poor dog to animal control; that’s animal abuse to leave a dog out in the summer heat without water! Some people are ‘so clueless’, poor dog!”
The video has gotten over 2 million views since it was released earlier in the summer, with many animal lovers angered and concerned for the dog’s welfare. The one positive in the video is that the dog does have the neighbor keeping an eye out for his welfare. Given that he tried to give the dog water indicates to us that the man would act if the situation got more serious.
Leaving a dog on a balcony in extreme heat is a serious cause for concern. A dog named Enzo died over the summer in Washington State after his owner left him on a balcony the Sedro-Woolley Police Department reported. The temperature on the balcony was 131F at the time. The owner was arrested and charged with animal cruelty.
In another instance last year a group of people got together to give water to a German Shepherd puppy who was tethered on a balcony and couldn’t reach his water bowl or any shade.
With increasingly warm weather due to climate change, the video is a strong reminder to keep an eye out for dogs left out in hot weather. Please don’t hesitate to call authorities if you see a dog in trouble. Here are some tips on how to identify heat stroke in dogs.
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