Neglect Of Animal Charges After Montco Man Leaves Dog Alone In Hot Vehicle

UPPER GWYNEDD, PA — A Montgomery County man is expected to be facing criminal charges after police said he left his dog unattended in a sweltering vehicle late last week when temperatures were soaring into the upper 90s.

The man, whose name was not yet released pending the official filing of criminal charges, is facing allegations that he left his Pitbull inside of a hot vehicle in the parking lot of the Weis Market at 1551 Valley Forge Road late last week.

Upper Gwynedd Police K9 Officer Ed Tartar and Chief David Duffy were dispatched to the scene on Aug. 4 at around 2:51 p.m., at which time they found several concerned Samaritans who were worried about a dog that was left inside a late model Hyundai sedan, according to a police department news release.

The concerned citizens said the dog had been inside the hot car for at least 10 minutes and appeared to be panting heavily.

Officers noticed that the vehicle was turned off and the windows were only slightly cracked open.

The officers used their batons to enter the vehicle, police said, and they removed the dog and gave it water and cared for it until it appeared to be alright.

The air inside the vehicle appeared to be much hotter than the outside temperatures, which on that day were hovering around 95 degrees, according to the police department.

About 10 minutes after the officers freed the dog, they found the owner as he emerged from the grocery store with a shopping cart full of items. He was identified as a 62-year-old man from neighboring Towamencin Township.

The dog was ultimately released to the owner, police said.

"We are glad that this dog did not suffer serious injury or illness in this incident," police stated in their news release. "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."

Police thanked the concerned citizens to tipped officers off to the situation.

The police department said that it expects to soon be charging the dog's owner with a criminal count of neglect of an animal.