A Hamden woman is accused of leaving a dog inside a car that reached 120 degrees and has been charged with animal cruelty.
Police said they were called to the parking lot of a supermarket at 2335 Dixwell Ave. on June 2 after someone reported that a “small Bichon mix” dog was left inside a parked vehicle and was panting excessively.
An officer responded and an announcement was made to try and locate the owner, but that did not work, so the Hamden Fire Department was called in.
While firefighters were trying to get into the car, 47-year-old Shi Zhuhong, of Hamden, returned with “a cart full of groceries,” according to police.
Firefighters determined that the inside of the vehicle had reached 120 degrees while the exterior of the vehicle was 140 degrees, according to police.
Police said the dog was left inside the vehicle for approximately 45 minutes.
Zhuhong was charged with cruelty to animals.
Local
She was released on a written promise to appear and she is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on June 17.
Hamden police urge people not to leave animals unattended if the heat is extreme and not to leave animals unattended for more than 10 minutes.
They urge people to park the vehicle in an area where there is shade, use a screen to block the rays of the sun, leave a bowl of water inside of the vehicle.
If you see an animal locked inside of a hot vehicle, write down the make, model and license plate number of the vehicle.
If there is a business nearby, try to locate and notify a store employee or security personnel and contact your local police department or animal control division.
