Pet owners were reminded Tuesday to not leave their animals inside hot vehicles, after a bystander smashed the window of a car in Palm Desert last week to save a dog who was left unattended for over 45 minutes in 102-degree weather.
“It’s very dangerous to leave pets in cars during high-temperature days,” Riverside County Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said. “Please leave your pets at home in the air conditioning or, when traveling with your pet, never leave them in a car.”
County Animal Control Officer Rebekah Reyes responded to a call about a dog inside a Chevy Colorado at The Shops, 72-840 Highway 111 in Palm Desert, at about 6 p.m. Wednesday.
A bystander smashed one of the car’s windows as Reyes called her supervisor to explain the situation. It is legal to smash the window of a vehicle if a pet appears to be in imminent danger. Other bystanders told Reyes that the eight-year-old Pomeranian mix had been inside the car for at least 45 minutes.
According to a statement from animal control, the dog was rushed to the VCA Valley Animal Medical Center and Emergency Hospital in Indio to be examined and treated for heat stroke.
A deputy from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department arrested the dog’s owner on suspicion of leaving an animal in an unattended motor vehicle under conditions that would endanger the health or well-being of the animal.
She was released at the scene, but the statement from animal services said she could still face a possible misdemeanor conviction and jail time.
The owner of the dog paid the medical bills, which added up to $1,033 at the VCA hospital and retrieved her dog the same day from the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms.
The dog received blood work and staff at the hospital administered fluids.
Reyes said the owner admitted to her mistake and hopes to learn from it.