A mother of four was threatened with a knife for trying to help a dog left inside a Jeep on a hot afternoon in her B.C. community.

Murrayville resident Sara Rowland told the Langley Advance Times it happened on Friday, Aug. 19, in the parking lot of the Langley Walmart store.

She had just finished shopping with her four sons, Evan, 11, Eli, nine, Ethan, seven and Ender, four.

“I was walking back with my four kids to my vehicle, and I noticed a blue Jeep with Alberta plates. Someone had left the windows a quarter of the way down. I saw a Husky in the Jeep. It was a quarter after 1 in the afternoon.”

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Rowland, concerned for the dog’s well-being, took down the licence plate number and went back into the store, where the customer service desk made an announcement asking for the owner of the car.

Rowland returned to the Jeep, and with the help of another person, put some bottled water in a container and passed it through the partially open Jeep window for the dog.

She said she couldn’t tell if the dog was in distress, because it turned its head away from her.

Then, the owner showed up.

“She started swearing at me,” Rowland recalled. The woman produced a folding knife.

“It was five inches, six inches longs,” Rowland estimated.

“It was a decent length.”

The woman yelled at Rowland, saying “I’m with law enforcement. Get the f___ away from my vehicle, get the f___ away from my dog.”

Rowland said this all happened in front of her kids.

“I can’t believe you pulled a knife on me,” Rowland replied, “I think I’m going to call the actual police.”

At that, the knife-wielding woman got in the Jeep and drove away.

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Rowland was able to flag down a Langley RCMP officer, who took down the information and referred her to victim services.

“I would like her charged with assault with a weapon,” Rowland told the officer.

She said she didn’t feel the emotional impact of the confrontation right way.

“I think I was so worried about my kids, I was in mama bear mode.”

But the next morning it hit her, when she got up, made some coffee, and “I kind of collapsed.”

Her youngest son has been traumatized, and keeps saying “the lady with the blade is going to get us.”

Langley RCMP Cpl. Holly Largy said anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200 or, if they wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers online at www.bccrimestoppers.com or by phone at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

“Events such as these are very concerning,” Largy said.

“Langley RCMP will continue their investigation to identify and locate the suspect.”