A dog that was left in a hot car has died, the East Haven Animal Shelter, and police have charged the dog’s owner with animal cruelty.
Police said the East Haven animal control officer responded to a hotel on East Frontage Road Tuesday after receiving a report of a dead animal and found a lab mix dead in the back seat of a vehicle that was on a trailer attached to a large moving truck.
"I unfortunately saw that one of the dogs had already passed and the owner was taking the other dog out of the car that was still alive .11 i immediately took the still alive dog and put it in the back fo the animal control car that had a/c in it just so it could cool down because it was panting a lot," said East Haven Animal Control Officer Emily Higgins.
Police said the owner of the dog, identified as 71-year-old Raymond Atwood, told them he was in the process of moving from Florida to New Hampshire, left the dog in the car overnight and found it had died when he woke up.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
He surrendered his other dog to the Town of East Haven, police said.
It was transported to a veterinary hospital and will be OK after receiving treatment, according to the animal shelter.
Atwood was charged with animal cruelty and released. He is due in court in New Haven on Oct. 5.
East Haven Animal Shelter warns pet owners to not leave animals in the car during the summer regardless of the time of day.
"If you see someone leave their dog in the car or even if you see them leave the dog outside their home tethered and it's too hot definitely call us or the police department so that we can get out there as quick as we can before the worst happens," Higgins added.
