The following reports are but a fraction of the hundreds, even thousands, of instances where every year dogs are left in parked cars to die. A lucky few survive. (One county animal shelter reports getting three to six heat-related calls of animal cruelty or animals in distress each day.) Also, many young children die as a result of being left in parked cars in the summertime. One Web site tracked 16 toddlers and infants dead in 2008 in the span of only two months.
06/15/09, Grandville, MI
Charges likely for woman whose dog died from heat in car parked at RiverTown mall
Charges are pending against the owner of a small dog that died Sunday after being left in a car outside of RiverTown Crossings, police said.
Firefighters got into the car and provided oxygen and water from a syringe to the Chihuahua, but it died at the scene, Grandville Detective Sgt. Renee Veldman said.
The dog, a 3- to 4-year old male, was named Lucky, police said.
Veldman said the dog's death serves as a tragic example of what can happen when children or animals are left in cars during summer months.
The outside temperature was 78 degrees when the dog was freed from the car. The vehicle's interior temperature was estimated at around 100 degrees.
The dog owner's name was not released.
Police said the car was parked outside the Macy's store around 2 p.m., with the windows cracked about one inch. An hour later, the owner let the dog out to relieve itself, and returned to the mall to continue shopping. At 4:47 p.m., police were called, and after trying unsuccessfully to locate the owner in the mall, called firefighters, who got the dog out of the car.
The owner, an area resident, came out of the mall while police were at the scene. She could be charged with animal abandonment or cruelty of an animal resulting in death, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, $2,000 in fines and 300 hours of community service.
The Kent County Animal Shelter issued a statement saying it is "never acceptable to leave pets unattended in vehicles"... (The Grand Rapids Press)
05/24/09, Lexington County, SC
Man Convicted of Leaving Puppy in Hot Car
A judge found a 19-year-old man guilty, after the man left a puppy in his car for more than 30 minutes.
Witnesses say Joseph Caleb Bannister left a small puppy inside his vehicle for more than a half-hour while he visited a cup cake restaurant in Lexington.
"He was whimpering, whining, drooling excessively, running from window to window trying to get a breath of air...after I gave him the water to drink he sort of sat down in the seat of the truck and started to shiver," said eyewitness Brenda Stewart.
Animal experts say the dog showed signs of heatstroke after he was released from the vehicle.
Bannister spent Friday in jail, as part of a court-ordered 30-day sentence. According to the judge, 29 days of the sentence will be suspended if Bannister pays a $1,092 fine or turns over the dog to Animal Control.
According to the sentence, if Bannister does not turn the puppy over to officials, the judge has ordered that it be monitored every two weeks by Animal Control.
Also, the sentence read that any future animal cared for by Bannister would be required to be monitored every two weeks by Animal Control.
The judge said Bannister has until May 29, 2009 to decide whether to pay the fine or turn over the dog. (FirstCoastNews.com)
05/21/09, Keansburg, NJ
Man fined $500 for leaving dog in hot car
Gerard Pagnotta, 42, of the Parlin section of Sayreville, pleaded guilty to leaving an animal unattended in a motor vehicle in inhumane conditions, and he was ordered by Keansburg Municipal Court Judge Michael Pugliese to pay a $500 fine, said Victor "Buddy" Amato, the police chief of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Pagnotta and his girlfriend went to the Keansburg boardwalk on April 18, and he left his Yorkshire Terrier inside his vehicle, said Amato.
Outside temperatures were around 75 degrees that afternoon, but it was about 108 degrees inside the vehicle, said Amato, who added that he carries around a laser meter that he shoots into vehicles to detect interior temperatures.
Pagnotta told authorities he did not realize he could be fined for leaving a pet in a vehicle on a warm day.
Amato said this case was the first of its kind this year, but he expects to fill a ticket book each month for similar offenses, which carry fines up to $1,000. If a dog is injured or dies, owners can face jail time and a criminal record, he said.
"People have be aware they cannot bring their animals in their cars, when they go shopping, or to malls, or out to lunch," he said.
Amato said many dog owners have good intentions, and say they bring their pets with them wherever they go. But they can be issued summonses or charged criminally for leaving those animals in vehicles when temperatures are high, he said.
When its about 75 degrees outside, temperatures in vehicles can reach 100 degrees in about 20 minutes, and the animals go into distress immediately, he said. (APP.com)
05/19/09, Boynton Beach, FL
Woman arrested for leaving dog in hot car
A Loxahatchee woman is facing felony animal cruelty charges after police say she left her dog in her car for hours while she shopped at the Boynton Beach Mall.
Police received a call from a good Samaritan who saw a small brown dog inside a black 2009 Mazda which was hot to the touch with all windows rolled up.
Police responded and broke open one of the windows to get to dog. Investigators noticed a strong burst of heat coming from the window and the dog in obvious distress.
The dog was transported to the Pet PB Emergency Animal Hospital where it had to be hooked up to an oxygen tank so it could breathe.
After another hour, Michelle Gonzalez returned to her car. At first, she denied ever having a dog. Investigators said that Gonzalez appeared to have no remorse or concern for the dog.
Michelle Gonzalez was taken into custody Sunday. She was released this morning on a $3,000 bond. The dog was released from the hospital and taken to Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. (WPTV.com)
05/14/09, Longview, TX
Dog dies from heat inside parked car
Animal cruelty charges are pending against a woman after her dog died from excessive heat exposure while left in the parked vehicle, said Geoff Heinicke, Longview Environmental Health Manager.
A person in the Longview Mall parking lot on Saturday saw a large dog in distress inside a parked vehicle and contacted mall security, according to a statement from the city. The animal was dead by the time security reached the vehicle. Longview police and an animal control officer responded to the mall and located the vehicle's owner.
The vehicle owner's name was not immediately available Wednesday afternoon.
City officials said animals must be kept hydrated during the hot summer months and should never be left alone inside a vehicle with windows down or cracked, city officials said.
Anyone who observes an animal left unattended in a parked vehicle should contact Longview Animal Control at (903) 237-1290. (Longview News Journal)
05/07/09, Tampa, FL
Woman left dog in hot car at Ikea grand opening
The first sign of trouble at the Ikea store in East Tampa surfaced during its grand opening on Wednesday, when a customer was arrested on animal cruelty charges. It was the second time in 1 1/2 years she was charged with the same offense under similar circumstances.
Tampa police charged Amy Chantarak, 19, about 2 p.m. Wednesday after a Tampa police officer working at the store's opening was told by a passer-by that a dog was locked in a car.
The dog, Mr. Snuggles, will remain in the care of the county shelter at least for the time being. The dog owner "will either surrender custody or we will petition custody of the dog." (Tampa Bay Online)
04/23/09, Tualatin, OR
Dog dies in hot car outside Bridgeport Village mall
The warm weather early this week claimed the life of a dog that was left in a car outside an upscale shopping mall.
Tualatin Police say 55-year-old Linda Rae Daniels of Cottage Grove took her pet pug to Bridgeport Village on Monday. Daniels parked her sport utility vehicle in the direct sunlight on an 80-degree day, leaving the dog inside with the back windows rolled down a few inches.
Daniels told police she spent about an hour inside a store, and returned to find the pug not breathing. She poured water on the dog in an unsuccessful effort to revive it.
She then covered the dog with a carpet and went back to the store.
Police later took the body to the Humane Society, which found evidence of heat stroke. Police spokeswoman Jennifer Massey says Daniels was given a criminal citation for animal neglect. (kgw.com)
03/17/09, Edmonton, Canada
Edmonton judge fines man $1,500 for leaving dog in hot car
A man from Hay River, N.W.T. has been convicted of causing an animal distress under Alberta’s Animal Protection Act.
Provincial Court Judge Darryl Ackroyd fined Gregory McMeekin $1,500 Tuesday morning in Edmonton after learning that McMeekin left Dreyfus, his golden retriever, in a hot car for more than 2 1/2 hours in June 2006.
Dreyfus, 15, was lying in his own urine and could not stand when Edmonton police and Edmonton Humane Society protection officers found him inside McMeekin’s vehicle along Jasper Avenue on a 21 C June day.
Once Dreyfus was recovered from the vehicle, he was taken to the society's shelter and treated for heat exhaustion. After spending two days at the shelter, he was returned to the owner under the condition that the owner take the dog to a veterinarian for further treatment and testing, Randolph said. (Edmonton Journal)
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