Dog locked in hot car, suffering from heat stroke
Lomita, CA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Oct 21, 2008
County: Los Angeles
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Abuser names unreleased
On Oct. 21 Lomita Sheriff's Station Deputy Gutierrez answered an animal cruelty call that sparked a donation rally within the department to save a dog on the brink of death.
A Lomita resident reported that an American Staffordshire terrier was left for "several hours" in the back of a black SUV next to an empty bowl meant for water.
Unable to find the owner, Lomita deputies, who also serve Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, called local firefighters, who rushed the dog to an animal hospital where it received emergency medical treatment.
"The dog's eyes were open and it had a blank stare, and the dog did not roll his eyes toward me. The dog was panting at a rapid rate and its tongue was hanging out of its mouth," Gutierrez wrote in her report. "When I first opened the front passenger door, I felt a wave of heat hit my face from inside the car."
Gutierrez estimates the temperature was about 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the windows were open less than 2 inches. To complicate matters, the dog's leash was tied to a handle in the cargo area of the car and didn't reach the cracked windows.
There were signs that led Gutierrez to believe the dog was living in the vehicle, including empty containers of food, water bottles and feces.
Dr. Henry Yoo, who treated the dog, said it was in a "cyanotic state," or not getting enough blood to the brain, and also was experiencing rectal bleeding.
"The dog was unconscious and unresponsive. His body temperature was 107 degrees and he was close to dying," Gutierrez said in the police report.
The dog was panting and had a heart rate of 280, with normal being at about 120, according to Yoo.
"His tongue was blue; his whole body was giving up … As soon as he came in, I was afraid that he was very close to having a seizure," Yoo said. "[We gave him] emergency medication that stimulates the breathing, gets the blood pressure up and slows down heartbeat … It took about an hour and a half before he settled."
Concerned for the dog's health, Lomita Sheriff's Station dispatcher Steinbacher said she would pay for all hospital expenses.
When fellow deputies heard, they too gathered funds to save the grayish-blue male terrier.
Deputy Richard Johnson, who helped collect funds, put in $100 in memory of his dog.
"We have a lot of animal lovers at the station and they didn't want to see anything happen to the dog … They wanted to make sure the dog got treatment," Johnson said. "So I collected a little from the captain and everybody contributed a little bit of money, so now the bill is paid."
Even Yoo, from Crenshaw Animal Hospital & Cat Clinic in Torrance, did his part by cutting the bill in half.
In total, the station raised about $700. Eight days later, Diablo is back on his feet and bonded with the hospital staff.
His owner, a Lomita resident, was arrested, but bailed out a day later.
"This owner … he definitely has a feeling of compassion, he wants to make sure his dog is healthy," Yoo said. "He asked me all of the components, but I think it's more that he wasn't properly educated."
The dog's owner will go to court in about a month, and Diablo will be under the care of the Department of Animal Care and Control.
A judge will decide if he will get the dog back or if it will go up for adoption.
Diablo's owner faces misdemeanor charges for cruelty to animals, which can be a year in jail or up to $1,000 in fines, Johnson said.
Johnson hopes the judge makes the dog's owner pay for the entire medical bill, and then the station can use the money collected for a special fund.
"Since it's already been paid, why don't we take that money and use that money for people maybe who have a little problem paying, or are a little short … so they can get some help with their animal too?" Johnson said.
While the Lomita Sheriff's Station's animal cruelty cases deal mostly with horses, Johnson said they do get calls about dogs left in vehicles. But adds he has never seen anything this severe.
"I think it's just one of those basic education things on how to treat animals - especially dogs, who are man's best friend," he said.
Yoo said during the summer months, he gets about one to two dogs a week suffering from heat stroke.
"Even if he had water, that probably isn't going to help too much in a totally locked situation," Yoo said. "Bystanders should have reported it sooner. If the dog is having a heat stroke, seconds and moments count. Not only the cooling down [with ice packs and water] will help the animal survive, but medicine is crucial to prevent brain damage.
"It's not intentional or an animal-abuse type of thing, it's more so lack of information and knowledge. A lot of people don't think animals will [experience] heat stroke this time of year, but actually when they are locked in the car, there can be cooking temperatures inside," Yoo added. References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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