Man Who Left Dog in Car for 4 Hours Faces Animal Cruelty Charge

Northville Police were dispatched at about 11 p.m. on March 1 to the Northville Downs parking lot for a report of a dog left in a silver Malibu for more than an hour, according to a police report.

Police found a dog, apparently a pit bull, sitting in the driver’s side seat that appeared to be shaking and shivering and did not acknowledge the officer who knocked on the window, the report indicated.

Police had Northville Downs make an announcement over the public address system for the owner to return to their vehicle, the report indicated. About 10 minutes later, a man walked up to the vehicle and the dog immediately got up and started barking and jumping around.

The man told police he had been at the track about four hours, arriving at about 7 p.m., the report indicated.

Asked why he left the dog inside his car for so long, the man asked police, “What’s the difference if I left it inside my car or outside chained up to a fence?”

According to the police report, it was 26 degrees outside.

Police cited the man on a charge of cruelty to and abandoning animals, where he has a March 17 court date at 35^th District Court in Plymouth.