Two police officers rescued a distressed dog who had been locked inside a U-Haul truck in humid Florida heat over the weekend while its owner was relaxing at the beach.
New Smyrna Beach Police Department release Body camera footage shows officers on Monday finding the pit bull panting furiously after becoming trapped inside a moving truck in the heat as temperatures outside neared 90 degrees.
The dog was left inside the vehicle with the passenger side window slightly open.
“It was 86 degrees outside at the time with no clouds in the sky and the temperature inside the car was probably over 100 degrees,” the post read.
A passerby noticed the puppy locked in the hot box and immediately called the police.
A good Samaritan reported that the dog had been locked inside the hot truck for nearly an hour by the time he reported the tragic discovery to police.
Police said the dog was left without water and the U-Haul was parked in an “uncovered” location.
The video shows the two officers treating the abandoned dog as gently as they could before rescuing it from the truck, talking to it gently to calm it down, giving it water through a broken window and, at one point, offering it a Slim Jim.
The puppy was safely rescued and transported to the Southeast Volusia Humane Society.
Police said the owners had left the dog in a hot truck to go to the beach.
“Charges against both dog owners have been sent to the State Attorney’s Office,” police said in a statement.
Police did not release the name of the owner or what charges he may face if the State Attorney’s Office files them.
The police station expressed its gratitude, saying, “We were able to rescue the dog thanks to an alert person who noticed there was a dog in the car and reported it.”
They also used the opportunity to issue a stern warning to the public.
“Never leave animals or children in a car, even for a short time, as this could be deadly.”
Leaving pets unattended in a parked car is considered animal cruelty in the state of Florida.
A dog locked in a hot car can suffer from fatal heat stroke in just 15 minutes, depending on the temperature outside and the dog’s age.
The average body temperature for a dog is 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Unlike humans, dogs do not have sweat glands all over their bodies, so the only way they can cool themselves down is by panting.
Heat stroke occurs when a dog’s body temperature rises above 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
