BOYNTON BEACH, FL (RNN/CNN) – Police in Florida issued a harsh warning to pets owners on Facebook after they had to break a window in order to rescue a dog inside a hot car.
Good Samaritan Ilisa Diamond spotted a pit bull inside a car parked near a bank in Boynton Beach, FL, Monday morning and called 911.
After waiting about 10 to 15 minutes for the owner to show up, Boynton Beach Police smashed the car’s window to free the dog and give it some water.
Police say the car’s engine was off, and all the windows were rolled up. Temperatures inside could have easily reached triple digits, they say.
When the dog’s owner returned to the car, officers learned she had just left the dog park with her rescue dog and drove to the bank. She ran inside, leaving the dog in the car, when she found the drive-thru closed.
Animal Cruelty Investigator Liz Roehrich says most owners who leave their dogs in their cars are otherwise responsible and loving, but they think it’s OK to leave the dog if it’s only for a minute.
“We are here to tell you that it is not. Ever… Our advice, stop being lazy (harsh, yes, but true). Bring your pet home and then go back out to run whatever errands you need to do. We are animal lovers, and we're lucky our residents and visitors are too,” said the police department in the Facebook post.
Roehrich cited the owner with a violation of Palm Beach County law for leaving the dog unattended in the vehicle. She then returned the dog to her.
According to research from Michigan State University, it is illegal to leave an animal in a parked vehicle in at least 26 U.S. states.
Copyright 2017 Boynton Beach Police Dept. via CNN. All rights reserved. Raycom News Network contributed to this report.
