Golden Retriever suffocates to death in car as owner spends hours at Goa casino, dog attempted to chew vehicle mat trying to survive

Panaji police on Monday detained a man from Karnataka after his Golden Retriever died of heat and suffocation inside a locked car, where it had been left for over four hours while he was at a casino, reports TOI's Ramit Mehrotra. The pet owner, identified as Bharat KC, allegedly did not leave any windows partially open for ventilation. With maximum temperatures in Panaji currently hovering between 31–33°C, the conditions inside the vehicle worsened rapidly.

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According to Stephen Samuel, field officer of the District Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the distressed dog attempted to chew through the car mat before eventually suffocating. The organisation wrote to Panaji police, urging them to register an FIR, obtain CCTV footage from around the casino to identify the vehicle, and have it seized.


“Panaji Animal Welfare Society informed us about the trapped pet and a resident present at the scene called police. By the time police arrived, the dog suffocated to death due to extreme heat and lack of oxygen inside the car,” Samuel said.

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He added that this is the fifth such incident in the area. “In the previous four cases, we weren’t able to take action. This time, we will aggressively pursue the case,” Samuel said.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday to determine the exact medical cause of the dog's death. The complaint states that pet owners are legally responsible for their animal’s well-being and describes leaving the dog in the car as a" deliberate act of negligence that directly caused the animal's death".

Samuel also urged people not to leave dogs unattended in vehicles for more than 30 minutes. He advised keeping windows partially open for ventilation while ensuring the animal cannot jump out, and recommended always parking in the shade when travelling with pets.

(With TOI inputs)