OHIO -- An Austintown dog died in the backyard of a Maplecrest Drive home Tuesday after being left outside from 7 a.m. until midafternoon.
Rick Tunison, Mahoning County deputy dog warden, said when authorities arrived at the home around 2:30 p.m., the puggle (pug-beagle mix), on a tie-out cable off the back stoop of the home, already was dead.
Tunison said there was no food or water outside for the dog. He said they don’t know who actually put the dog outside that morning, but neighbors reported hearing the dog barking at 7 and 10 a.m.
“It was an unfortunate situation,” he said. “It was an accident.”
Ashley Rhodes, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals community outreach liaison with the cruelty investigations department, said although the event is a tragic accident, it was a preventable one.
“We hear about tragedies that could’ve been prevented like dogs who die because they were left in a parked car or on a chain, unable to reach water,” she said. “We would just like to encourage residents of Austintown and everywhere, really, to always keep animals indoors and never leave animals outdoors unintended.”
She added: “Incidents like these remind us how important it is to protect them and keep them inside where it’s cool and safe,”
Tunison also suggested to err on the side of caution when it comes to putting dogs outdoors in hot weather – especially puggles.
“From the pug aspect, it has a pushed-in nose, which makes it harder to breathe to begin with,” he said. “That with the combined high pollen count, humidity and heat of yesterday creates a recipe for disaster.”
Other advice included providing a cool place to lie down and ensuring access to water.
Animal Charity, animal-cruelty investigators for Mahoning County, will be doing an autopsy of the puggle as part of its investigation to determine the cause of death.
(Vindy.com - May 26, 2016)
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