A 62-year-old Towamencin man will soon face neglect of animal charges after he allegedly left his dog in the car Thursday afternoon while shopping at Weis Market
Police were dispatched to the 1500 block of Valley Forge Road at 2:51 p.m. on Aug. 4 for a report of a dog left unattended in a vehicle. Upper Gwynedd Police Chief David Duffy and Canine Officer Ed Tartar arrived to the scene and spoke with several concerned citizens who stated there was a dog in a late-model Hyundai sedan that had been left unattended for at least 10 minutes prior to police arrival.
Police said the vehicle was not running and the windows were only partially open. Inside of the vehicle was a tan pit bull that was panting heavily. The temperature at the time was 95 degrees with a heat index of 104 degrees, according to police.
According to the release, police used their batons to hit the unlock button inside of the vehicle to gain access to the interior, noting the air inside the vehicle was noticeably hotter than the 95-degree air outside. After gaining access, police said they moved the dog to a shaded area and provided it with water.
The dog’s owner emerged from the store with a cart of groceries several minutes later, police said. After assessing the dog and determining it was no longer in distress, police released the dog back to the owner.
Duffy said he will be criminally charging the owner with neglect of an animal.
“We are glad that this dog did not suffer serious injury or illness in this incident,” police said. “However, as was explained to its owner, that was certainly a possibility, and he should have never left the dog unattended in this hot weather condition.”
The name of the owner has not been released as he has not yet been charged.
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