Three Dogs Die Trapped In Hot Car In Sacramento County, Fourth Rescued
SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) - Three dogs are dead, and another in serious condition after being left in a car for more than two hours during the hottest time of day.
A concerned passerby called the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department after seeing the dogs trapped inside a blue SUV in the parking lot of the Sierra Fair apartments on Fair Oaks Boulevard Thursday afternoon.
A deputy arrived and broke into the vehicle to try and save the dogs.
Three had already died, but a fourth was rescued and rushed to a nearby veterinarian's office.
The sole survivor, a two-year old female, is now being treated by animal control officers.
"Right now we don't know what the ultimate outcome will be," says Sacramento County animal control director Dave Dickinson, "It is still in a guarded condition. It can take two or three days for the effect of heat exhaustion to take its toll on on an animal."
Dickinson says "the windows were cracked about an inch open but that doesn't give it anywhere near enough circulation in those conditions, it's just not possible for those dogs to survive something like that."
The sheriff's department cited the suspect, 34-year old Trevor Courtney, on animal endangerment charges, and he could lose the right to own dogs for 10 years if found guilty.
