A heartless couple was caught on camera barking at police officers after they smashed their car windows to rescue dogs inside the sweltering vehicle. The pets were locked inside the car in cages on a day that was the second hottest of the year. The RSPCA revealed that the temperature inside the vehicle could have easily reached 117 F on that particular day. Not only did the couple endanger their pets but were also caught on CCTV footage shamelessly stealing tips from a seafront café earlier the same day.
Staff members at the Carats Café and Bar in Southwick, near Brighton, had shared the footage of the pair in the hopes of identifying them after they pocketed their hard-earned cash. Describing the theft as “unfair and completely unacceptable,” the team of the family-run cafe said that the two stole the money shortly before midday. They did so after demanding a refund for two breakfasts they had consumed at the eatery, saying it was unsatisfactory. Despite being refunded in full, the two were caught on camera helping themselves with money that was kept in the tip jar.
It was not until the eatery’s management checked the CCTV footage later that they realized the crime they had committed. In the surveillance video, they appeared to be taking out coins from the tip jar and also picking up drinks from fridges situated next to the counter without paying for them. “They came to the till and ordered two breakfasts and while the member of staff was distracted, they just opened the fridge next to the counter and helped themselves,” said the seafront café manager Zoe Kibble. The couple had two sons aged around nine and six.
“They sat down, for their breakfasts and ate most of them before complaining to the manager who was working at the time. They said there was some hair in one and complained about the other as well. We don’t get many complaints so we just offered a full refund. The manager noticed there were drinks on the table that weren’t in the same order but at the time assumed they had been paid for separately,” she continued. The pair’s stunt ended up costing the cafe £100, which included the cost of the breakfast, drinks, and tips that were stolen. Sharing how this incident affected her employees’ morale, Kibble said, “We take on young people and it’s going to have a knock on their confidence. They’ve worked hard for their tips on a really busy, hot weekend so for them to be told their food isn’t good enough and have their tips taken from them is just not on.”
But before the cafe shared the footage of this theft, bystanders had already uploaded a video of police breaking into the couple’s car to rescue two of their dogs. Both the pets, including a beagle, looked instantly relieved after being able to breathe in the fresh air and drink water following the rescue. The video showed one officer using his baton to smash the back window on Saturday as temperatures outside reached 75 F. As the car alarm goes off, the owners of the vehicle rush back to the scene, and instead of thanking the officers for saving their dogs, the woman complains about them breaking the car’s window. To this, another officer responds saying, “It’s a hot day. You shouldn’t be leaving the dog in the car in this weather.”
Apparently, cops were called to the scene after a member of the public noticed there were dogs inside the car. “The police attempted to contact the owner of the vehicle but they failed,” revealed one witness. “This is when they attempted forceful entry to stop the risk to the pups from the heat. First, the PC attempted to use his baton but this failed. Then he used a glass punch four times and the window smashed. Then he used the baton to remove the window. I think the driver had some tint film in the window so it smashed but stayed in the same place. A member of the public then gave the PC some water for the dogs (who never left the car). The owner came back clearly agitated with their window being smashed and because there was a crowd.”
When the owners arrived, they seemed to be unaware of the dangers posed by their actions. A second witness said, that the dogs were “panting solidly” and that the car was parked in an area where there was no shade. “At first it was ‘what the f*** are you doing, why did you break my car window? I was only gone for 10 minutes.’ The bloke obviously thought he was completely in the right. He didn’t really seem to have much empathy.” The cops reportedly gave the owners a strong word of advice about not leaving their pets inside a hot car. “Dog owners should never leave a dog alone in a car on a warm day. If you see a dog in distress in a hot car, dial 999,” noted a spokesman for Sussex Police.