NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Nashville has been in 90-degree temperatures for days, so that’s why when Metro Animal Care and Control (MACC) got a call that a dog was left outside, they quickly went to check it out. Neighbors told police say they’d seen the dog on a balcony for hours over multiple days and nights.
According to police reports, at one point, even the dog became so desperate that it tried to chew through the metal bars. When MACC got there, the dog was dead.
Now, Lakendra Moore, 23, and Dearick Pinkston, 24, are being charged with aggravated animal cruelty.
“Every year we see a couple of cases that really discourage us, so we want everyone to know how important it is just to keep your keep your pets’ safety and their health in mind,” Matthew Peters with MACC said.
Dog owners like Barbara Yontz say in this weather she’s looking out for signs that her pup Louise is getting too hot.
“She sort of tells me when she’s done and I can see it in her face and her tongue is hanging out. So we’re going home, going back to where it’s cooler,” Yontz said.
“Especially for outside dogs, it’s really important they’re able to have a place to get out of the sun and some cool water,” Peters said.
They said there are four things to keep in mind: make sure your dog has water, don’t leave it in a car, avoid asphalt, and limit exercise.
“Ordinarily, she just stays inside in the air conditioning and we go for walks and come back,” Yontz said, “I mean, we’re just standing here and I am like totally drenched in sweat. I’m not even doing anything.”
Because if we’re hot with this weather, our pets are hot too.
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