As we've all been reminded, hot cars kill.
In Florida, where it gets even hotter, a woman faces only a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty after leaving her dog in a car while she shopped for 13 hours at Wal-Mart.
Another shopper spotted the pet, Waldo, dead in the car of 49-year-old Cassaundra Rasmussen and alerted police in Crestview, Florida.
Rasmussen was found "browsing" in the store. She said she forgot about Waldo, left inside an oven of a car with no water.
I've been in some big stores, but they can't make one big enough to keep me shopping for 13 hours. My theory is Rasmussen doesn't have air conditioning at home and decided to stay cool at the big box store.
Too bad she didn't have enough sense to take Waldo to a no-kill animal shelter.
The temperature doesn't have to be that high to kill dogs and other pets, which lack sweat glands and have a tough time regulating their body temperature.
Even when temps are in the low 70s, a car in direct sunlight can quickly reach 116 degrees, according to a Pet Health article on NBC News.
Once a dog's body temperature reaches 106 degrees, it can die within just a couple of minutes, the article says.
Rasmussen, who has been in and out of the Okaloosa County Jail at least 15 times on charges ranging from cocaine possession to driving without a license to loitering, likely didn't "forget" Waldo.
It's more likely she just didn't care.
More news found on my Tuesday journey through the Interwebs:
- Serial rapist in coma after wrecking car 10 minutes after 7th rape
- Woman breaks lease after learning home was serial killer's torture chamber
- U.S. military spends millions to learn how to use social media as propaganda
- L.A. police no longer holding illegal immigrants for feds
- Blue Flu: 552 Memphis police call in sick
- SWAT teams says it is a private corporation to conceal records
- Alcohol kills 10 percent of working-age adults
- Self-serve beer stands open at professional baseball park
- Weatherman loses eye in fireworks accident
- Russia alleges official's son was arrested by U.S. to exchange for Snowden
- Girl falls in love with terrorist online; arrested trying to fly to Syria
- White House: Obama does not write or even read his own Tweets
- Obama's Tweets written at 6th grade level
- Cat attacks couple, traps them in home
- Man dies in July 4 hot dog eating contest
- Liquid water, life may exist on Mars
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