Dog locked in hot car
Omaha, NE (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Jul 18, 2004
County: Douglas
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Connie Stilwell
Sixty-eight-year-old Connie Stilwell met friends at a restaurant on July 18, 2004 at about 6 p.m. and she says she left her dog Minnie in the car for less than 30 minutes.
Stilwell says she parked in the shade, lowered every window and left a glass of water for her dog to drink.
She says, "I'm not going to do anything to put her in jeopardy. She's my best friend."
But someone called police and the Humane Society.
An animal control officer reports that through a one-inch window opening, he could feel the air inside the car seemed much hotter than outside and he gave Connie a ticket for animal cruelty.
Connie says, "I deserved a warning, not all this."
Animal control officers do carry warning cards that inform people how hot it can get inside a car but as the temperatures go up, they issue fewer of those and more misdemeanor citations for animal cruelty.
The Humane Society's Pam Wiese says, "They're doing it because they want to send a message: This is endangering the life of your dog. You're killing your dog by leaving it in this hot a car in this type of weather. There is no room for mistakes when it's this hot out."
Stilwell says she's sorry that she put her dog in jeopardy but she still faces a misdemeanor that carries a maximum of six months in jail and a $500 fine.
She says, "I don't want the cruelty to animal label. I think that's excessive. I'm not that kind of person."
Stilwell says her pet won't go as many places with her anymore in the summer.
The Humane Society says that on an 85-degree day, the temperature inside a car can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes and that's with the windows slightly open.
In a half-hour a thermometer would read 120 degrees.
At 110 degrees, pets are in danger of suffering heatstroke. References
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