GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County man left for a school pickup on a 90-degree afternoon and came back to a dead dog in the backyard and two officers waiting in the driveway.
The pug was tethered to a chair swing with no water and no shade on Wednesday in Suwanee, according to a police incident report.
A trash truck driver spotted the dog on the ground and called animal control. Police say the heat was only part of the problem.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“Gwinnett County does have a law against single-point tethering of animals, so you can’t just tie your dog up outside and leave them,” said Capt. Robert Thompson with the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Vidal Castro was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals.
He told officers he tethered the dog around 3 p.m., left for a school pickup and forgot about him.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Chaos on Georgia school bus ends with charges against 3 adults
- ‘Hearts are heavy:’ Georgia traffic control workers killed while picking up equipment on interstate
- 2 men shot near restaurant; cars found burned, shot up miles away
The animal control officer who responded gave his read before anyone knocked on the door.
“The tether itself is not allowed,” the officer said on body camera video. “They have no adequate food, shelter, water.”
Thompson said the same warning applies well past the driveway.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“In these kinds of temperatures, if you have animals, don’t leave them outside,” he said.
Even a trolley-style tether requires an adult watching the whole time, Thompson said.
“You’re responsible for that dog’s safety just like you would be your own children,” he said.
Animal control is still working to determine what killed the dog.