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.
09/24/09, Downey, CA
Puppy rescued from hot car finds new family
Yo quiero una casa! That was the message being sent out by the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority for a 3-month-old Chihuahua named Bella, rescued this month after she was left in a hot car. (Press-Telegram)
08/21/09, South Padre Island, TX
Man Arrested For Leaving Dog in Hot Car
A Keller, Texas man is behind bars charged with animal cruelty after leaving his dog in a sweltering car in the Schlitterbahn parking lot. (KRGV.com)
08/21/09, Bainbridge Island, WA
Dog dies in hot car on Bainbridge; second case in week
A black lab dog died Thursday after being left for several hours in a hot car on Bainbridge Island. It's the second dog to die in a hot car in the area in the past week. (The Seattle Times)
08/17/09, Seattle, WA
One dog dies, others rescued from hot cars
Seattle city officials said animal control officers responded to at least four separate reports of animals left in hot vehicles on Sunday. One pit bull died while left in a car parked on Western Avenue. A police report said officers found the pit bull in a hot car with scratch marks throughout the interior "as if the animal was trying to escape" along with saliva, blood and vomit. (KOMOnews.com)
08/13/09, Altoona, IA
Owner Charged For Leaving Pet In Hot Car
An animal owner is facing charges after leaving his dog in a hot car outside Adventureland Park, the third such incident reported on Monday alone. Altoona police are charging a Waterloo man, Lawrence Ray, with animal cruelty for leaving his dog in his car at the park. Officials said pet owners could face a $100 fine or up to a $1,000 and 30 days in jail if the pet is seriously injured or dies. (KCCI)
08/12/09, Schaumburg, IL
Woman Cited After Dog Dies In Car On Hot Day
An Iowa woman was charged with cruel treatment of animals after she left her dog in a hot car Saturday, killing the 4-year-old Pug. (CBS2 News)
08/11/09, Eastpointe, MI
Dogs Die After Being Left In Hot Car
Investigators plan to interview the groomer who left the two dogs in the back of the capped pickup outside Eastpointe Animal Hospital, as well as any possible witnesses in that area during the early afternoon hours of last Friday. The hope is that the media coverage will bring someone forward. (WWJ News Radio)
08/5/09, Tyler, TX
Hot Car Puts Pet Puppy At Risk
A crowd gathered Tuesday around a small black passenger car parked in front of Ross Department Store on South Broadway Avenue as they watched firefighters pull the lone occupant from the scorching interior. With the passenger firmly in his arms, Tyler firefighter Justin Dominy safely lifted the young pooch out of the car to the sound of cheers. (Tyler Morning Telegraph)
07/27/09, South Texas, TX
Woman loses custody of dog
A municipal court judge Monday told a pet owner she's very lucky her dog didn't die in a hot vehicle..Calling the owner's choice to leave the dog locked in the car as cruel confinement. And, as a result that same judge upheld an animal seizure warrant and awarded custody of the pup to the city....Meaning soon it'll be available for adoption. Three news has been following this story. (KIIITV News)
07/27/09, Orange County, CA
Dalmatian apparently OK after stint in hot car
Brea police issued a citation to a Fullerton man for confining his Dalmatian inside a parked, dark blue SUV while shopping in Wal-Mart over the weekend, Sgt. Bill Smyser said. (The Orange County Register)
07/16/09, Denver, CO
Terrier dies in hot car as "Idol" hopeful auditions in Denver
A small terrier died in a hot car while its owner's girlfriend waited in a long line to audition for "American Idol" at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium.
Quincy Vanderbilt, 24, was served Tuesday with a misdemeanor summons for animal cruelty, said Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Denver district attorney's office. (Denverpost.com)
07/03/09, Nottingham, UK
Flowers left for dead police dogs
Flowers have been laid at a special memorial site at Nottingham Police Headquarters for two German Shepherd police dogs found dead in a hot car. The animals were found dead in the private vehicle outside the Nottingham headquarters on Tuesday, one of the hottest days of the year. (BBC News)
06/28/09, Spokane, WA
Man held on cruelty charge in Spokane after leaving dog in car
A 1-year-old black Labrador retriever pulled Friday from a car with no windows open at the Spokane Valley Mall has died.
Charles M. Eschenbacher, 31, the dog's owner, was booked into Spokane County Jail on Friday, charged with felony animal cruelty. He is being held in lieu of $5,000 bail and also has been charged with a misdemeanor related to confining or transporting an animal unsafely. (The Spokesman-Review)
06/25/09, Arnold, MO
7 show dogs die after being left in van
Seven high-priced show dogs, including a top Akita, died after being left by their handler in a hot van for more than five hours, police near St. Louis said. (UPI.com)
06/23/09, Wagoner, OK
Woman Arrested After Dog Died In Hot Car
A woman has been arrested on a complaint of animal cruelty. Her dog died after officials say it was left inside a hot car at Toppers Recreational Area in Wagoner County. It can happen so fast. In this case, it was a rat terrier that was left inside, locked in a hot car for at least three hours. The owner was on a boat on the lake. Nicole Zipfel posted bond Tuesday, two days after being arrested after lakegoers complained about a small dog, desperately trying to get out of a locked, hot car. (KTUL.com)
06/17/09, Greenville, SC
Sixth dog dies after being left in hot car in Greenville
The sixth and last dog that was left in a hot SUV in Greenville died Wednesday morning according to Greenville Police.
The dog — named "Izzie" by workers at the Greenville Animal Shelter — was in poor health and suffered injuries to her organs following the incident. (WCBD News)
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 Grand Rapids Press)
06/03/09, Wilmington, DE
Police: Woman left dog inside hot car for 6 hours
A Delaware woman faces criminal charges after Beckley police say she left her dog for six hours inside a hot car, parked across the street from police headquarters.
Amy Elizabeth Marlow, 23, of Wilmington, Del., was charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals, Police Chief Tim Deems said. She was given a citation to appear in Beckley Municipal Court. (The Register Herald)
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. (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. (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. (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. (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. (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. (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. (Edmonton Journal)
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