Actress Jennifer Beals is under fire for leaving her dog in a hot car, but the "Flashdance" star defended her actions in a public statement.
Global News reported that Beals, 51, left her "German Shepherd-type" dog in a Ford Escape on Wednesday in Vancouver with the window cracked "a few inches" on the passenger side.
Beals was confronted by a passerby when she returned to her vehicle about five minutes later.
"In this temperature, I don't think that would necessarily create the type of cooling effect that would ever be sufficient," Marcie Moriarty, of the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told Global News.
According to Us Weekly, Beals issued a statement Thursday saying that she grew up with dogs and that she would never intentionally put them in danger.
"I've worked with dogs in obedience, agility, and shepherding training," Beals said in the statement. "I am not only a loving dog owner but a discerning one. The morning was a cool 73 degrees. I, and others, were wearing jackets. I rolled all four windows down and left the car for five minutes to pick up laundry, my car visible to me the entire time," she continued.
"I wondered why two people were congregated by my car taking pictures of my girl. Proud mama thought it was because she's so gorgeous. While I appreciate their vigilance and what must have felt like courage on their part, they were barking up the wrong tree."
Moriarty told The Globe and Mail that she disagreed that the day was cool and that the actress left the windows down enough to properly ventilate it after reviewing news clips.
"I think this is an education opportunity," said Moriarty. "I don't doubt she loves her dog and I very much appreciate her comments around caring for her animals. She probably shouldn't have been running her dry cleaning errands with her dogs in the car."
Beals recently shot scenes from the TNT series "Proof" in Vancouver and is married to Canadian man Ken Dixon.
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