The owner of a chocolate Labrador has been charged with animal cruelty after leaving the animal out in the heat last week, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office said.
Temperatures last Thursday soared into the low 90s, and the surface of the deck where the dog was found was around 109 degrees, the sheriff’s office said in a post on its Facebook page.
“We’ve said it repeatedly and people still don’t understand, if temperatures are deadly for people, they are for pets as well,” the post read.
The dog had no shade, and little water when the office’s Animal Control unit responded to the home in the 1400 block of Tarragon Court in Belcamp.
A neighbor was attempting to help the dog by wetting it down with a hose, but by the time the Animal Control officer arrived, the dog was in distress, had collapsed and was suffering from heat stroke. The Abingdon Volunteer Fire Department responded, and helped remove the dog.
The lab passed away after the Animal Control officer and a veterinarian attempted to provide medical care.
The Humane Society offers the following tips for summer-time pet care:
- Never leave your pets in a parked car.
- Limit your pet’s exercise on hot days.
- Don’t rely on a fan—pets respond to heat differently than humans do.
- Provide shade and water.
- Watch for signs of heat stroke, which include heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, excessive thirst, lethargy, fever, dizziness, lack of coordination, profuse salivation, vomiting, a deep red or purple tongue, seizure and unconsciousness. If you see a pet suffering from heat stroke, apply ice packs or cold towels to its head, neck and chest or run cool, not cold, water over him or her. Let the pet drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes.
