Puppy dies after being left outside
Pet safety tips
1. Never leave your pets in a parked car.
2. Limit exercise on hot days.
3. Provide ample shade and water.
4. Cool your pets inside and out.
5. Watch for signs of heatstroke.
6. Prepare for power outages.
Source: The Humane Society of the United States
Weather and animal control workers have been warning pet owners for weeks to take special care of pets as temperatures soar past the 90-degree mark.
But by the time Henry County Animal Control showed up to one home, it was too late for a 10-week-old puppy named Buddy, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Authorities said they found him dead about 2 p.m. Monday inside a pen with his water bowl turned over.
“He had no means to drink anything, and it was just baking in the sun,” Henry County Animal Control spokesman Vince Farah said.
Buddy is the second dog in Henry County to die from the heat in just three days, officials said.
“We’ve never had this many at one time where these animals are deceased in the heat,” Farah said.
Buddy’s owner, Ashley Davis, told Channel 2 she had just gotten Buddy and another dog named Otis four days ago.
Otis, also 10-weeks-old and now in poor health, was able to escape the pen he and Buddy shared.
“It’s hard on my daughter,” Davis said. “That was her dog.”
Davis was charged with cruelty to an animal and failing to provide the dog water and shelter, Farah said.
Davis told Channel 2 she did nothing wrong.
She said the dogs had shade and water when she left for work and she only planned to leave them outside a few hours.
“I couldn’t leave them inside because they had pooped everywhere when I left them inside, too,” Davis said. “I couldn’t leave them in the living room with all the things they could get into.”
Otis will stay at an animal control facility pending the owner’s court appearance.
