Weymouth man charged with animal cruelty after allegedly locking two dogs in hot car

COHASSET, Mass. — A 56-year-old Weymouth man is being summonsed to court for allegedly locking two dogs inside a hot car Thursday morning.

Just before noon, Cohasset Police say Natural Resources Officer Josh Kimball responded to a parking lot on Chief Justice Cushing Highway for a report of two dogs trapped in a hot car with no water inside. The temperature at the time was in the mid-80s.

The responding officer found the vehicle with two back passenger windows rolled down and two young boxer mixes inside a large dog crate. The temperature inside the car was estimated to be 120 degrees, according to law enforcement officials. Authorities say both dogs were likely suffering from heat exhaustion, as they were both panting heavily.

Police don’t know how long the dogs were in the car for before officers arrived, but they were noticed by a bystander around 11:30 a.m., according to law enforcement officials.

The boxers were transported to a local veterinary office and both had higher internal temperatures than normal for their breed. The pups were kept overnight but police say both are expected to recover.

The owner is being charged with two counts of animal cruelty, according to Cohasset Police. Because a criminal complaint has not yet been filed, the man’s name is not being released at this time.

Pet owners are reminded to never leave pets in a vehicle on a warm day. The inside temperature of a car quickly rises and can reach over 100 degrees, even on a 70-degree day.

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