As summer approaches, many people are eagerly anticipating the warmer weather — but unfortunately the heat can pose a serious danger to neglected dogs. Every year, many dogs die of heatstroke due to being left in vehicles.
That was sadly the case recently, after one woman left her dogs locked in a car in a Florida parking garage while she dined at Disney.
Officers from Orange County Animal Services received a call earlier this month about four dogs that had been left locked in a vehicle at the parking garage at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida.
The four Bernedoodles (a cross between a Bernese Mountain Dog and a poodle) had recently been purchased from a breeder, according to a release from the Orange County Government. The owner left them in the car while she dined with family at Disney Springs.
Left in hot car, one dead
She was reportedly gone for 90 minutes, and thought that the covered parking garage and a cracked window would be enough to keep the dogs cool while she was gone.
But she was tragically wrong: temperatures rose to over 130 degrees, and sadly one of the dogs did not survive.
“Tragically, one puppy was found unresponsive and despite intervention by first responders and a local Veterinary Emergency Clinic, the puppy had to be euthanized due to the extent of the injuries,” Orange County Animal Services wrote.
“Every summer we deal with cases like this, where someone runs into a store, the mall or similar venue and opts to leave their pet in the car, assuming it’ll be a short trip,” Diane Summers, Manager of Orange County Animal Services, said in the news release. “People have this misconception that shade or cracking the window will alleviate any concerns of overheating, it’s simply not the case, an animal should never be left in a car, especially during the summer months of Florida.”
“It’s heartbreaking and infuriating for our staff and animal loving community when pet owners make this mistake as preventable tragedy can and does occur.”
Three survivors adopted
There is a silver lining to the story: the three surviving puppies have all been adopted — by the firefighters who rescued them.
According to ClickOrlando, Ben Whitley, Leonardo Rojas and John Harvey of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have given the Bernedoodles homes.
“Leo and I went to animal control to just check up on these three and see how they were doing and happened to run up on the investigator that was working the case, and it kind of started this whole conversation,” Whitley told the outlet.
Rojas said that the firefighters experienced a reaction of “anger” because “you can’t comprehend how a human can do this to puppies.”
While Florida is hot year-round, temperatures are only going to rise as the summer heats up — and officials are stressing the serious danger of hot car deaths.
“Every year we train our staff in reference to the law, and every year we try and educate our community,” OCAS wrote on Facebook. “Still, every year we find ourselves working heartbreaking cases like this one. Fortunately, our first responder and law enforcement partners are well trained and well aware of the law, and they will not hesitate to take action against such neglect.”
“We at OCAS just ask our community to please remem”ber that they are more than just pets. They are more than possessions. To remember that they need us, more than we need them. And that most of the time, they cannot survive without us.”
“We shouldn’t put these gentle hearts at risk. Please, keep them safe. Keep them home.”
It’s unbelievable that there are still people who leave their dogs in hot cars — it’s as important as ever to stress how susceptible dogs are to heat stroke and how easily they can die if left in a closed vehicle.
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