Greyhound left in hot truck dies Tampa, FL (US) Incident Date: Thursday, Jul 22, 1999 County: Hillsborough Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Joseph Wayne Mueller

Case ID: 7373 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in FL (US) Login to Watch this Case

Joseph Wayne Mueller, 44, of 6214 Bayside Key Drive left his dog, Monique, in his 1998 Nissan Altima parked at a Hooter's Restaurant. Mueller has been charged with animal cruelty when his 19-month old greyhound died after being left for approximately 45 minutes in his truck with the windows slightly opened.

Mueller was taken to Orient Road Jail and bail was set at $500.

The sheriff's office said Mueller got the dog from Greyhound Rescue and Adoption of Tampa. The rescue agency conducts extensive education on proper care for the dogs. Bill Armstrong, director for Hillsborough County Animal Services, said "The prospective owners have to fiill out contracts and read through a lot of educational materials before they're allowed to take a greyhound."

There were two people who saw the dog in distress and an off-duty fireman approached to help at 1:10 p.m. The dog's owner was paged at the restaurant and he didn't respond to the page, the firefighter forced open a window and removed the dog. He poured water on the greyhound, but she died at the scene. The outside temperature at the time was 89 degrees.

The Hillsborough Animal Services determined the dog's temperature was 109.7 degrees thirty minutes after she had been removed from the truck. The normal body temperature for such a dog is 101 degrees.

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References

The Tampa Tribune - July 23, 1999

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