Dog locked in hot car Portsmouth, NH (US) Incident Date: Friday, Aug 3, 2007 County: Rockingham Local Map: available Disposition: Not Charged Abuser names unreleased

Case ID: 11920 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in NH (US) Login to Watch this Case

Police took a husky from a vehicle on State Street near Molly Malone's restaurant at about 4:15 p.m. on Friday, Ferland said, and transported it to a local veterinary hospital where it was treated for heat exposure.

Temperatures on State Street were around 85 degrees when an officer arrived to check on the dog in the vehicle in front of Molly Malone's, Ferland said. The officer called Ferland for permission to break into the car to rescue the dog.

"The officer determined the dog was in heat distress," Ferland said. "He was panting very heavily."

In addition, the dog's tongue had lost its pink color and was darkening, the captain said.

"The window (of the vehicle) was cracked partially, but not enough for air. ... Obviously, a husky is a winter breed dog. It doesn't do well in the heat."

Ferland declined to name the owner of the dog since the investigation is ongoing. "Charges could be brought," he said.

"It is criminal when we can show a protracted cruelty to the animal," Ferland said. "Cruelty to animals is a universal charge that we apply to animals that are left inside closed areas without proper ventilation.

"There is a duty of care that is expected of people who have domesticated pets, just like there is a duty of care for a parent to their child. ... If you breach that duty of care, that is criminally wrong, and I think morally wrong."

Ferland said the city's animal control officer is on annual leave and the cases are pending until her return. Meanwhile, the department has consulted with the animal cruelty investigator at the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

SeaCoastOnline - Aug 6, 2007

« NH State Animal Cruelty Map

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.