LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WAVE) – A man has been arrested after he was accused of leaving two dogs in a hot car in West Louisville on Wednesday morning.
According to LMPD spokesman Aaron Ellis, police officers on the Louisville metro were called to the 6600 block of Hunters Creek Boulevard around 11 a.m.
A neighbor said he first parked the car near his house around 9 a.m. It wasn’t until two hours later that his grandmother noticed the two dogs in the car.
He said they waved goodbye to an off-duty Shively police officer who lives down the street. The officer tried to break the window with a hammer, but it took until about ten minutes for another officer to break it with a baton.
According to National Weather Service data, the temperature at the time of the incident was 93 degrees.
LMPD confirmed that one of the dogs had died. The other dog appeared to be in distress and Louisville Metro Animal Services was called to get the surviving veterinary treatment.
LMAS officials confirmed that the second dog died a short time later while being sent to a vet.
“Unfortunately, one dog has died,” said Jeff Foley, LMAS deputy director. “The second dog died on the way to our vet’s office. Both animals died because someone left them in a hot car.”
While officers were on the scene, 21-year-old Kyle Cobb, the owner of the vehicle, came out. Officers questioned Cobb, who was subsequently arrested at the scene.
Neighbors told WAVE News that Cobb was visiting friends who live on Hackel Street.
Cobb has been charged with at least one count of animal cruelty and has been booked into Metro Corrections.
LMPD is conducting the ongoing investigation.
Foley said on Wednesday that this wasn’t the only case of dogs being trapped in a hot car.
“Please don’t take your dog in a car because there could be a situation where you have to leave the dog in the car and you didn’t intend to,” Foley said. “So don’t.”
Driving with pets in the summer can be dangerous, and that includes children.
“It’s important to know that children’s body temperatures rise much faster than an adult’s,” said pediatrician Julia Richerson. “They are extremely sensitive to heat and it can happen very quickly.”
In fact, the temperature in a car can reach 20 degrees in just ten minutes. Even with the air conditioning on, it can still be dangerous.
Regardless of age, all children should all be treated with the same risk.
“You might think, ‘oh, I would never leave a baby in a car, not even for a minute,'” Richerson said. “But you should also feel the same about a toddler or school-age child.”
If you are driving with a pet or child, it is recommended that you leave something important, such as a phone or wallet, in the back seat so as not to forget to go back for them.
If anyone sees a pet or child trapped in a hot car, call 911 immediately.
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