This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

Dog's Death Serves As Cautionary Tale

The owner of a West View Borough dog owner faces charges in a case that might be of interest to Upper St. Clair pet owners this time of year.

, based on a recommendation by humane officers, are expected to file animal neglect charges against the owner of a two-year-old American Bulldog, which died from heat stroke Tuesday.

Temperatures were much like conditions in Upper St. Clair and the greater Pittsburgh area today.

According to West View police, a young man was seen placing the dog inside a car parked outside.

Find out what's happening in Upper St. Clairwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We had gotten a call from at 1498 Center Avenue, telling us that the dog was in very bad shape,” said Kathy Hecker, Animal Friends Humane Officer. 

Onlooker Jesse Sprague told WTAE-TV’s Bob Mayo that he was horrified when he saw the dog, the same breed as his own, clearly overcome by the heat. 

Find out what's happening in Upper St. Clairwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I come out and look and the thing was dying. I mean, right here. You could tell it was fighting for its life,” Sprague told WTAE. 

Sprague said he gave the dog water, while others called 911. 

“I poured water all over it to try to cool it down, but you could tell it was dying,” said Sprague. 

Sprague said he initially thought a car hit the dog because it was bleeding and its paws looked like they were “shredded.”

"It may have been that his back legs shut down first and he was being dragged,” said Hecker.

Hecker said the man then dragged the dog, which weighed 80 pounds, from outside the market another 2 1/2 blocks to his home and placed it inside the car. 

“By the time police arrived, the dog was dead,” said Hecker. “American bulldogs are very sensitive to the heat, it should never have been outside on a day like that.” 

“Dogs need constant hydration, just as people do, but they also can't take direct sunlight. What feels to us like 90 degrees might feel like 150 to them,” said Hecker. 

Hecker also advised that dogs should never been walked on the street, or on a concrete sidewalk in extremely hot weather.

"At the shelter, we always walk the dogs in the woods," she said.

Hecker said the dog’s owner told her he was heartbroken about what happened. Hecker said that, nevertheless, the owner would be cited. 

Hecker said the owner could face fines ranging from $50 to $750, up to 30 days in jail, and could be prohibited from owning another animal for a period of time determined by a judge. 

Keeping up with news in the North Hills is easy—simply sign up for our daily email newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.