© Cohasset Police Dept. These dogs were rescued from a hot vehicle in Cohasset, Massachusetts, on Aug. 25, 2022. The owner of the two dogs faces two counts of animal cruelty.
A Massachusetts man will be issued a summons to appear in court after two dogs that he owns were found inside of a hot vehicle in Cohasset, according to police.
Cohasset police Chief William Quigley said the department received a report late Thursday morning that two dogs were inside of a car with the windows rolled down but no water inside that was parked at a shopping center along Route 3A, specifically at 380 Chief Justice Cushing Highway.
At the time the incident was reported, the weather was sunny with temperatures in the mid-80s.
Cohasset Natural Resources Officer Josh Kimball responded to the scene and saw that the two back passenger windows were rolled down and there was a large dog crate with two dogs inside, both young boxer mixes.
Both dogs were panting heavily and salivating excessively, and Kimball reached into the car through one of the open windows and found it to be extremely hot, according to Quigley.
Kimball determined that the dogs could be suffering from heat exhaustion and was able to unlock the vehicle’s doors from the inside in order to retrieve the dogs. The officer noted that both dogs were very warm to the touch when he was placing them inside his vehicle.
“It is unknown how long the dogs were in the vehicle before police arrived, but the dogs were first noticed by a bystander at approximately 11:30 a.m. The estimated temperature of the air inside the vehicle when the dogs were rescued was approximately 120 degrees,” Quigley said in a statement.
Quigley said Kimball brought the dogs to a local veterinary office to be evaluated and both were found to have internal temperatures higher than normal for their breed. The dogs were kept overnight to receive further treatment, but they are expected to recover.
The owner of the dogs, a 56-year-old Weymouth man, later returned to his vehicle and was informed of the situation.
Quigley said the dogs’ owner will be issued a summons to be arraigned at Quincy District Court at a later date, but noted that because a criminal complaint has not yet been filed in court, the man’s name cannot be released.
Pet safety tip
Cohasset police remind people to never leave pets inside of a vehicle on a warm day. The inside temperature of a car can quickly rise and reach over 100 degrees, even on a 70-degree day. Even if the windows are cracked, a car can quickly overheat.
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