Local Reaction to Trussville’s Dog Death in Hot Car
People in Montgomery are reacting to a viral video from Trussville, which shows a dog dying after being left in a hot car for hours.
Jenny Whisenhunt is the Community Outreach Coordinator of the Prattville Humane Society. She said that she would like to see stricter laws against people that neglect or abuse animals.
“The thing is that it is neglect, it is cruelty,” Whisenhunt said. “I wish that sometimes the laws that we try to enact in support of animals would be considered equally to those of human beings.”
Whisenhunt said that she understands the reasoning behind people wanting to take their pets with them. But she warns that if there is a risk of endangering the animal, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“If you know and anticipate that you’re going to be in the car or in a location for a long period of time, I would suggest leaving the dog or the pets at home,” Whisenhunt said.
Scott Gunn is a dog owner who says he does not take his pets on trips inside his vehicle, unless his destination is pet-friendly.
“We do take the pets sometimes in the car, but we don’t leave them inside,” Gunn said. “If we can’t take them with us when we get out, we leave them at the house.”
Mickey Golden is a veterinarian who says it’s important to remember that when there isn’t another choice, the authorities will do what they have to do to make sure animals are safe.
“There are situations where sometimes the humane society has to call animal control, and sometimes they will have to break a window to get the dog out, and they will do that,” Golden said.
One dog owner at a Montgomery dog park says that she puts an item on her dashboard to remind herself that her dog is in the car with her. The penalties for animal cruelty and abuse charges can range from thousands of dollars in fines and up to a year in prison in convicted.
