Carla Cheney, an employee of Wal-Mart in Kemptville, Ont., was on her way into work when she saw a man leaving his dog locked in his car. She told him it was dangerous, he complained; she was fired. Carla was apparently a 'repeat offender' She had previously asked a manager what to do about a trapped dog and was told to mind her own business. Another employee, Sean Dhaliwa, was also fired for the same reason.
Canada has been experiencing heat waves in some areas--in the past month, two children have died after being left in hot cars.
These brave people should be commended, the manager needs to be reprimanded and taught that it is a Canadian's responsibility to report illegal actions--and animal abuse is illegal. Wal-Mart claims to care about animals, but a donation to a shelter or a sign telling people not to leave pets and kids in hot cars doesn't fix this problem.
Wal-Mart needs to learn what responsible behavior means, and if they're going to profit from selling pet food and gear, they should put their actions where their $$ is. They don't have a good track record for walking their talk, but they should be called on their bad behavior.
Dear Ms. Broader:
Are you the kind of person who would watch an animal die of heat exposure locked in a car? I hope not. Please treat this incident not as an embarrassment to be shunted to your spin doctors, but an opportunity to set an example for shopping centers everywhere.
Wal-Mart already has the image of a company that just doesn't care. Standing up for the safety of helpless animals---and children, too, two kids have died in the past month from the heat in locked cars--can only make your company look good.
Why not do the right thing in this case? Nobody can put you down for showing concern for animals in a meaningful way.
