Another life has tragically been claimed due to an apparent lack of common sense. Yesterday, 60-year-old Mary R. Smith of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, left her dog in the car for an extended period of time while she went shopping at Oak Brook Mall.
According to the Chicago Sun Times , police responded to a report of a “brown, medium-sized dog” lying in the front passenger seat of Smith’s white Mercedes at 7:48 p.m. When they arrived on the scene to try and save the dog, the windows were completely closed and fogged up. ABC 7 Chicago reported that the dog was under distress, breathing shallowly and not responding to what was going on outside of the car. At the time of the incident, the outside temperature had reached 83 degrees. Earlier that day, the temperature climbed as high as 95 degrees.
Once police were able to enter the vehicle, they rushed the dog to Arboretum View Animal Hospital in Downers Grove, where it was reported that the dog’s internal temperature had skyrocketed to 109 degrees. Sadly, the dog was pronounced dead at 8:30 p.m. the same evening.
“(Smith) stated to officers she did some shopping and then went to dinner, forgetting about the dog. She was in the mall for a few hours,” Officer Garrett Church said Friday.
Under the Humane Care of Animals Act, Smith was charged with a misdemeanor count of cruel treatment. Her future court date is pending, but she was released from the Oak Brook Police Department on an I-bond. She will appear in court at a future date.
This isn’t the first time this summer that innocent lives have been lost due to negligence. Just two days ago, the Inquisitr reported that in June, 25-year-old Dijanelle Fowler left her 1-year-old daughter in the 90 degree heat in Atlanta for over six hours while she got her hair done. To make matters worse, Fowler then tried to cover up the death.
Per the Inquisitr , another tragic death took place in Tennessee when the grandchild of Mayor Jerry Kirkman was left in a hot car overnight, with temperatures reaching upwards of 89 degrees. When police responded, the 2-year-old child was pronounced dead at the scene.
A dog was left in a car yesterday in the mall unattended, the dog did not survive, owner was arrested. DO NOT leave kids and pets in cars. pic.twitter.com/VBhCncnn2N — Oak Brook Police (@OakBrookPolice) July 21, 2017
“The temperature inside a vehicle climbs approximately 43 degrees in just an hour. There is no reason to take your pet out in extreme heat without adequate air conditioning and water,” Oak Brook Police Chief James Kruger said.
Do you think that Mary Smith should be punished the same way as if she had left a child in the car? Sound off in the comments.
[Featured Image by Oak Brook Police Department]
