Local News

Dedham pet owner cited for leaving dogs tied to car in hot weather

Dedham Animal Control says the pets were outside in 89 degree weather for over 45 minutes.

The huskies sit under the car, panting. Dedham Animal Control

August 6, 2024

Dedham Animal Control cited a pet owner for leaving his two dogs tied to his car for over 45 minutes in 89 degree weather. The owner was inside, getting fitted for a suit, the unit said.

Animal Control responded to reports of two dogs left tied to a parked car in Legacy Place on Friday afternoon. Witnesses said the dogs initially laid next to the car, but soon went under the vehicle, “unarguably for shelter from the sun and relief from the hot pavement,” the unit said.

The dogs were both huskies, a breed known for their affinity for colder weather. PETA says pavement on a hot day can reach temperatures of 130 to 180 degrees. Three dogs have died in Boston just this year due to heat stroke, the nonprofit said.

Animal control officers eventually coaxed the dogs out from under the car to remove their ID tags and contact their owner. The owner, who was not unidentified, was inside a store getting fitted for a suit, they said. The owner did not check on the welfare of his dogs, nor did he “seem concerned,” the unit said.

The owner said he tied the dogs outside because it was better than leaving the dogs inside the hot car. Animal Control said officers were “too upset to even debate” him. They cited the owner for violating a state law about leaving a pet outside during extreme heat.

“Over the last couple of months, we have done a lot of reporting about incidents that violate MA law on leaving dogs inside hot cars,” the unit said in a post to Facebook. Just a few weeks ago, they responded to another husky locked inside a hot car.