Loveland PD Helps to Save Doberman Puppy in Hot Truck

Somedays, it 'takes a village' to come to the rescue. Thanks to someone calling attention to the puppy, the police were able to do the right thing.

Loveland Police Department (LPD)was alerted by a citizen to the fact that there was a dog tethered in the back seat of a black truck in the Wal Mart parking lot on Eisenhower; she said the dog appeared to be whimpering and trying to get air, with the window partially opened.

Three LPD officers arrived on the scene; one was able to reach her arm in through the partially opened front window to unlock the vehicle. By that time a Larimer County Animal Control Officer had arrived and placed the puppy in his air-conditioned rig to cool off.

If it sounds dramatic to you, the Animal Control Officer took readings within the truck and found that the temperature inside ranged from 114° to 140° which surely would have killed the dog.

The puppy's owner from Greeley was cited under the City of Loveland's Municipal Code, Title 6.16.060 that states:

No person shall confine any animal within a parked, closed vehicle without allowing sufficient cross-ventilation to prevent the animal from suffering heat exhaustion, heat stroke or death. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no person shall confine any animal within a parked, enclosed vehicle if the external ambient temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit or greater

It's a reminder that even though you may have the 'window cracked,' the heat inside a vehicle can rise to a deadly level.

That pup sure looked thankful. Nice job, everyone!