Dog dies from extreme heat after being left in car in Nashville, owner charged
The dog’s owner admitted to leaving the dog and a cat in his car while his apartment was undergoing an inspection.
What This Story Is About
- A 7-year-old pit bull died after being left in a hot car for approximately one hour outside an Antioch apartment complex.
Why It Matters
- A dangerous heat wave has taken over the Midstate, which can be deadly for children and animals, especially when left in a confined space, such as a vehicle.
What Happens Next
- The dog’s owner was arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty. He is being held for mental health reasons, but is slated to appear in court on Monday.
For Context
- The man said he was avoiding a scheduled inspection at his apartment on Thursday, so he had to hide his dog and cat in his vehicle.
Catch Up
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A dog owner was charged after he admittedly left the animal in a hot car, and the animal died in Antioch this week, according to police.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Metro Nashville Police Department, animal control officers were dispatched to the Hickory Lake Apartments on Apache Trail after a call was made about a dead dog on Thursday around 12:20 p.m.
They arrived and found 20-year-old Benjamin Dawson and a deceased 7-year-old pit bull in a grassy area of the parking lot. The affidavit states that Dawson told the officers that he had removed his dog and cat from the apartment and had driven them to a nearby laundromat to avoid an inspection of his unit that morning.
After waiting with the animals at the laundromat for approximately one hour, Dawson said he drove back to his complex and left the animals in his car while he went up to his unit. According to the affidavit, Dawson was in the apartment for another hour before he returned and found the dog in the front seat vomiting.
Dawson told the officers that he tried to give the dog water, but the animal had begun having seizures. He carried the dog from the vehicle to a grassy area where it died, according to the affidavit.
The condition of Dawson’s cat was not included in the report.
The officers’ report states that Dawson admitted to forgetting to leave the air conditioning on in the vehicle for the pets. He said he did crack a window, but the opening was not large enough for the dog to stick its head outside.
The animal control officers took a reading of the temperature inside the vehicle, which showed 140 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the report.
Dawson was arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty. His bond was set at $5,000, but he is being held for a mental health evaluation until his scheduled court appearance on Monday.
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