Mass. women to face charges after leaving dogs in hot car, police say

Two women are set to face criminal charges after police say they left two dogs in a hot car for more than 90 minutes Wednesday afternoon.

The 59-year-old woman and 32-year-old woman, whose names were not provided, will be summoned to Brockton District Court on charges of cruelty to animals and confinement of an animal in a motor vehicle causing exposure to extreme heat, Bridgewater Police Chief Christopher Delmonte said in a statement.

At around 4:35 p.m. on Wednesday, police went to a condo building on Heather Lane in Bridgewater after receiving 911 calls reporting two women screaming and crying. Arriving officers saw two medium-sized dogs lying on the ground next to concrete steps near the home, and determined both were dead.

Police eventually determined the women, both residents of Bridgewater, had left the dogs in a car for more than 90 minutes, Delmonte said. The car windows were not opened and no air conditioning was turned on. The fire department determined the temperature inside the car reached at least 130, according to the statement.

“The investigation revealed that the dogs had also been living in unsanitary conditions inside the home,” police wrote.

Bridgewater Animal Control brought the dogs to an animal medical center for a necropsy.

Both women will be issued summons to be arraigned on the charges at a later date.

“This is a heartbreaking and entirely preventable tragedy,” Delmonte said in the statement. “No pet should ever be left in a vehicle on a warm day in direct sunlight, even for a few minutes. Temperatures inside a car can rise to deadly levels in a matter of minutes, even with the windows cracked. We urge everyone to think twice and take the necessary steps to protect their pets from extreme heat.”