Arrest made after dog found dead inside hot car
By Kaitlyn Naples, Dennis Valera
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EAST HAVEN, Connecticut (WFSB) — A dog in East Haven has died after it was left inside a hot car.
The East Haven Animal Shelter said it was notified Tuesday night that two dogs had been left in a car at the Quality Inn on East Frontage Road.
A lab mix was found deceased in the back seat of a vehicle that was being towed.
The owner of the dog, identified as 71-year-old Raymond Atwood, who stated that he was in the process of moving from Florida to New Hampshire.
He had left the dog inside the car overnight.
Atwood was also in possession of another dog, which he surrendered to the town.
That dog was taken to the veterinarian hospital and is expected to be okay.
“It doesn’t matter if it is night or day, in the sun or not, it is TOO HOT to leave your animals in a car,” the animal shelter said in a post on Facebook.
Atwood was charged with animal cruelty and is expected to appear in court in October. The charge could result to a year in jail and $1,000 fine.
“If you feel it’s hot outside for you, it’s going to be even hotter in a car for a dog. People say ‘oh, I’m just running in the store for two minutes to grab something,’ it’s going to get even hotter in the car for your dog,” said East Haven Animal Control officer Emily Higgins.
The extreme heat started ramping up on Tuesday, with temperatures soaring Wednesday well into the 90s. The same is on tap for Thursday.
To prevent your dog from overheating, Higgins recommends carrying extra bottles of water and avoiding hot surfaces.
The biggest rule of thumb is going off how you feel.
“If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for them,” Higgins said.
Anyone who does see an animal inside a hot car is urged to contact a local shelter or police department.
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