Thieves Make Out Like Bandits In Cold Weather
Cold snaps can make the lives of auto thieves easier, as drivers leave their cars warming up in driveways.
That was the case Monday afternoon, when a youth stole a Mazda pickup truck from a home near Shadle Park High School.
According to police, the owner of the truck left it idling outside and went into his house. When he looked outside a few minutes later, he saw a youth - about 5-foot-9, 145 pounds with sandy blond hair - driving away in the pickup.
Neither the pickup nor the youth has been found, and police don’t have any leads.
The incident is one of several cold-weather auto thefts this winter. A car left idling in a West Central driveway was stolen in late December.
“You are just inviting people to come,” said police spokesman Dick Cottam. “If you are out shopping for a Bronco, you just go out on a cold morning.”
Leaving a car running is also against the law and bad for the environment, Cottam said.
Ed Sharman of AAA in Spokane said the car theft problem is very preventable. “Except for it being comfortable, there is no reason for warming up an engine,” said Sharman.
But if a cold steering wheel is too much to handle in the morning, Sharman suggests making a duplicate key and locking the door while the car is idling.
Cold hard on dogs, too
If it’s too cold for you to comfortably take a walk, it’s too cold for your dog to remain outside, according to SpokAnimal Care.
Gail Mackie, executive director of the local animal welfare office, said temperatures in the single digits or lower hurt most breeds of dogs. The office has been responding to more than 50 calls a day from people reporting animals left outside.
In most cases an officer will leave notice to a dog’s owner, but the state animal cruelty law allows officers to take dogs whose health is in jeopardy by remaining in the cold.
One of the biggest problems for dogs in cold weather is dehydration. Mackie suggests putting warm water over dog food. Water bowls should also be checked frequently, Mackie said.
, DataTimes