Dog Dies In Hot Car After Being Locked Inside 13 Hours While Owner Shopped


A dog dies in a hot car after he was locked inside it for 13 hours while his owner went shopping. Pensacola News Journal says in its report that the incident happened at a Crestview Walmart last Thursday. The dog, Waldo, was left in a car that had the driver’s side window partially down, but it wasn’t enough to beat the rising temperatures of the Florida sun. Cassaundra Rasmussen, 49, has been charged with one count misdemeanor cruelty to animals.

Another Walmart customer saw Waldo in the hot car around 11 am, says Lt. Andrew G. Schneider with the Crestview Police Department. The dog had no access to food or water and died from “symptoms consistent with heat exhaustion.” As the dog suffered in the sweltering heat outside in the car, Rasmussen was inside the Walmart store for approximately 13 hours. She told police she forgot about Waldo being in her vehicle. Police arrested her and she was transported to Okaloosa County Jail.

WJHG in Panama City Beach, Florida published a report on the importance of considering the comfort of pets during the hot weather season. Heat and humidity has dominated the Panhandle, in addition to the rest of the state. This is making veterinarians urge people as to how critical it is to keep “one thing in mind.” They tell people NOT to leave their dogs or any other animals in the car.

Dogs have fur coats and they soak in the heat a lot quicker than people do. When the weather is hot, cracking the window isn’t enough to relieve the animal of probable heat exhaustion because a car can heat up to 100 degrees, regardless, in a matter of minutes. Vets warn that pets can have a heat stroke or die.

Dr. Tonia Shatzel of 30A Vet says:

“But I also don’t think people think about what it feels like. If we sat behind in the car while someone went into the store, we would have the AC on. There is no way we would crack the windows this much and sit there for 15 minutes. What people don’t realize is the greenhouse effect.”

A dog dies in a hot car easily when the temperatures soar during summer. A lot of stories have been in the news already surrounding this very problem. The Inquisitr wrote on a similar instance in early June about a dog being locked in a vehicle while the owner went shopping.

[Image via Crestview Bulletin]

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