Puppy rescued from hot car in Texas summer heat

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - An unattended puppy was rescued from a hot car in Bob Wentz Park in Austin, Texas on the Fourth of July. Park staff had told the pet's owner that dogs were not allowed in the area known as "the point," so she decided to leave the small dog alone in the hot car without water.

According to the Austin Police Department, an officer was dispatched to the park in the 7140 block of Comanche Trail around 3 p.m.on Thursday, July 4 when park staff noticed a dog left in a hot vehicle. By the time an officer arrived at the scene, the dog had been left unattended in the gray Dodge Ram for over thirty minutes. The small white lab puppy, who was estimated to be between eight and twelve weeks old, could be seen severely panting and severely shaking.

The puppy was also attempting to seek refuge from the heat and the sun under the passenger's seat, according to police. Officers believed that the puppy was likely in pain and suffering and made the decision to break the rear window on the driver's side.

The dog was moved to an air-conditioned vehicle and given water. The outside temperature at the time the window was broken was 91 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Officers with the Austin Police Department were able to apprehend the puppy's owner, 41-year-old Coralia Esmeralda Gomez, later on the same day as she was attempting to leave the park. Gomez was arrested and charged with cruelty to animal, a Class A misdemeanor.