LaPorte’s first hot-weather period of the 2013 season has already produced a possible animal neglect charge, and a warning from authorities not to leave pets in unattended vehicles.
LaPorte Police report that on Tuesday, April 30, a resident alerted them that a dog was locked in an unattended van in the 800 block of Michigan Avenue at about 6:30 p.m.
Police arrived to find a small, long-haired dog inside a tan minivan. All the windows were rolled up and locked and the dog was panting. The van came back registered to a LaPorte County resident.
As police were attempting to place a call to the van owner, a couple walked around the corner and told police they owned the van. The woman admitted she left the dog inside the vehicle and told officers they had been gone for just a few minutes.
But witnesses told police that the dog had been left inside the vehicle for a minimum of 30 minutes with an outside temperature of 83 degrees.
A review of charges for animal neglect has been forwarded to the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office.
As warm weather begins, police warn: Do not leave pets, children or the elderly in your car in hot weather! Doing so poses the risk that they will succumb to heat stroke or even death.
Regardless of the outside temperature, the interior of your vehicle can be as much as 20 degrees hotter. This means in just 10 minutes, even with the windows left open an inch or two:
– a 70-degree day equals a 90-degree vehicle interior;
– an 85-degree day equals a 102-degree vehicle interior;
– after 30 minutes, this can rise to 120 degrees!
Police encourage citizens to report such incidents immediately.