5 days ago
Walton County deputies arrests owner for dog left in hot car
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The Walton County Sheriff's Office responded to Scenic Drive after multiple reports of a small dog left in a hot car for an hour on Saturday.
According to the WCSO, the car wasn't running, and the windows were only slightly cracked.
The vehicle was opened by deputies using a lockout kit, and the Yorkie was pulled out and given water.
Deputies said they called the number on the dog's collar. After a short time, 26-year-old Andy Matute Villatoro of Houston, Texas, showed up. He was at the beach, deputies confirmed.
Villatoro was placed under arrest for animal cruelty. Walton County Animal Services arrived and said they tested the temperature inside the vehicle, the readings came back at 120 degrees.
Villatoro was given a $1,000 bond and is still incarcerated at this time.
The Walton County Sheriff's Office urges you not to leave your dog inside a hot car. It only takes minutes for a parked car to become a death trap for an animal, even with the windows cracked.
If it's 85 degrees outside, it can exceed 100 degrees inside a car in under 10 minutes. Dogs can suffer heatstroke, brain damage, or death during that time.
Officials added it's not only dangerous and inhumane, it's illegal.
If you see a dog left in a hot car:
Call 911 immediately
Provide location and vehicle details
Wait for the cavalry
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