Young Chihuahua Trapped in Carrier on Scorching Hot Day Dies of Heat Stroke on the way to the Veterinarian
BOSTON, July 11, 2018 – The MSPCA-Angell’s Law Enforcement Dept. today announced a $1,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the shocking heat stroke death of a young Chihuahua found yesterday morning by shelter staff at the Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts in Brockton, Mass.
Joyce Caranci, manager of the Brockton-based shelter, found the carrier with the dog inside yesterday morning at 8:10 a.m, when temperatures had already climbed into the eighties. The carrier had been left about halfway up the shelter’s driveway.
“When I found her she was already unconscious and foaming at the mouth, but she was breathing faintly and I felt a heartbeat, so I immediately brought her to the Lloyd Animal Medical Center in Stoughton, but she died on the way,” said Caranci.
The dog’s temperature registered 110 degrees—the highest reading the thermometer could register—and about 9 degrees higher than standard canine body temperature.
The dog is a Chihuahua mix, approximately one year old, and is brown and white. She weighed about 10 lbs. The dog wore no identification tags, nor was she microchipped. The plastic carrier in which she was trapped was tan on top and dark gray on the bottom. There were no labels or other identifiers on the carrier.
MSPCA Law Enforcement Officer Nadya Moreno is leading the investigation. “This is a shocking instance of animal cruelty in which a young dog suffered an agonizing and totally preventable death—and we’re asking for the public’s help in bringing whoever is responsible for this to justice,” she said.
Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible are urged to call the MSPCA’s toll-free Law Enforcement line at 800-628-5808. The $1,000 reward will be given to anyone who brings forth information that leads to a conviction.
Animal cruelty is a felony crime in Massachusetts punishable by up to seven years in state prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
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