Spike in dog deaths creates warning for hot temperatures

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Employees at Henry County Animal Control say they have been trying to get the word out about leaving pets unattended in cars and yards so it hurts them to hear about another dog death.

By the time Henry County Animal Control showed up, it was too late for a 10-week-old puppy named Buddy.

Authorities say they found him dead at around 2 p.m. Monday inside a pen with his water bowl turned over.

“It had no means to drink anything and it was just baking in the sun,” Vince Farah, with Henry County Animal Control, said.

Authorities say Buddy is the second dog in Henry County to die from the heat in just three days.

“We've never had this many at one time where these animals are deceased in the heat,” Farah said.

Channel 2’s Matt Johnson confronted the owner of the dogs as she came home and she said she just got Otis and Buddy four days ago.

“It's hard on my daughter -- that was her dog,” the owner said.

She didn't want to tell Johnson her name but says when she left for work in the morning the dogs had shade and water.

“Why not leave it inside, it was like 90 degrees outside?” Johnson asked.

“Well I couldn't leave them inside because they had pooped everywhere when I left them inside too,” the owner said. “I couldn't leave them in the living room with all the things they could get into.”

The complaint is on her front door but she tells Johnson she plans to fight the charges.

“Do you think you did anything wrong?” Johnson asked.

“No I really don’t because they had water out here,” the owner said. “I put them in the shade -- they were only supposed to be out here for a couple of hours.”

She faces animal cruelty charges among others.

Otis will stay at animal control pending the owner’s court appearance.

Cox Media Group