By Heather Graves
Correspondent
GREEN BAY – A new initiative launched by the Hidden Paws Network hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of leaving unattended pets and children in hot cars.
At a press conference Thursday, Sept. 12, Joshua Jablonski, Founder of Hidden Paws Network, outlined The Kaylee Project.
It’s a campaign sparked by the death of a golden retriever named Kaylee, who was left in a hot car for more than three hours at Lambeau Field this summer.
“This incident continues to haunt many people,” Jablonski said. “We decided that the rising number of complaints and incidents of pets and children in these cars that something needed to be done. The rates of these incidents was the highest it ever was in 2018 and it didn’t look like it was slowing down in 2019 something needed to be done.”
Jablonski said the group has a basic public awareness campaign to educate the public on the dangers and penalties of these types of offenses.
The Kaylee Project campaign will include parking lot signs, digital billboards activated at a designated temperature, social media campaigns, window clings and public safety announcements.
“We’re hoping that we can get these signs and different educational information out throughout the public, especially Wisconsin,” Jablonski said. “We also want to be clear that this is not just about Kaylee and the offender, it’s about educating people regardless.”
Green Bay City Council President Mark Steuer supports the initiative.
He said he intends on seeing what can be done to tighten the penalties for offenders through ordinances.
Steuer plans to meet with the Green Bay Police Department and the city attorney.
“Some punishment is fine, and I’m not saying throw the book completely at them, but the dog, there’s no recourse for the dog. It’s gone,” Steuer said. “For myself, I forget my keys and my wallet and things like that, but I had two children, and we had pets. We would carry them in the cars, and that’s one of those things that just seems hard to believe that you would forget something like that was in the car.”
Debbie Rohloff, 55, Lawrence, was charged in the dog’s death and sentenced after pleading no contest to one misdemeanor charge of intentionally failing to provide food for an animal.
Rohloff’s sentence includes one year probation and 50 hours of community service at the local humane society or other animal welfare organization.
Jablonski said the Board of Directors of The Kaylee Project only learned of Rohloff’s sentencing after the fact, and have chose not to comment until they are able to review the sentencing transcript.
For more information on The Kaylee Project, call 920-857-9093, email [email protected], or click here.
The next official meeting for The Kaylee Project is planned for November.