WASHINGTON — A woman from Falls Church, Virginia has been charged with felony animal cruelty after a dog left inside her hot car died.
At around noon Monday, firefighters were called to the PetSmart on Arlington Boulevard in Falls Church, where they found a 5-year-old puggle in distress inside a locked car.
Police said the dog’s owner, Megan Kurtz Campbell, 19, had been away from the car for an extended period of time. Temperatures inside the vehicle were above 90 degrees when emergency responders arrived.
“They entered the vehicle and tried to cool the dog down, but were unsuccessful,” said Fairfax County police Officer Megan Hawkins, a police spokeswoman.
The dog was rushed into the veterinarian’s office in the store, but it couldn’t be saved.
Animal control officers in the Fairfax County have responded to 23 calls related to animals and the heat since Saturday, according to Hawkins.
