Man Left Dog In Hot Car, Charged With Animal Cruelty: Clearwater PD

Clearwater FL

23 May, 2022

4:21 PM

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CLEARWATER, FL — Clearwater police arrested a man after they said he left his dog in a hot car over the weekend. Richard McKinley is now facing animal cruelty charges. Police said he left his dog in a hot car Sunday when it was 93 degrees outside. Inside of cars get much hotter. Officers said the back windows were halfway down and there was some water in the car, but the dog was said to be in distress when they found it. "The animal was panting, drooling, sluggish to move and was so overheated it would not drink any water," the police department posted to Facebook. Police said the dog was taken to a local veterinary hospital to be checked out. McKinley was taken to jail. According to the Humane Society of the United States, the temperature in a car can easily exceed 120 degrees in a matter of minutes—even with the windows partially open. Pets can quickly suffer brain damage or die from heatstroke or suffocation.