Dogs Left in 130-Degree Car, Deputies Say

An Ohio couple’s trip to Tampa now includes a stop at the Hillsborough County jail after deputies say the two left their dogs inside a car parked outside University Mall Friday morning.

According to the sheriff’s office, Ashlee, 19, and Joe Frazier, 21, of Grove City drove to the Tampa area from their home. The two, an email from the agency said, decided to make a stop at University Mall, 2241 E. Fowler Ave., around 10:15 a.m. Friday.

When they left their Mazda to go inside the mall, however, they also left Beast, a 5-year-old Staffordshire terrier, and Scooby Doo, a 10-month-old Dachshund and Maltese mix inside the vehicle.

The Mazda’s windows were rolled up and the air conditioner was not left on for the two dogs in 91-degree weather, the sheriff’s office’s email stated.

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Around 11:15 a.m., two people happened by the car and noticed the dogs “in extreme distress,” the email said. One of the people broke out a window to rescue the dogs.

Beast, the sheriff’s office said, “was already suffering from convulsions and (was) unable to walk or respond.” Scooby Doo was panting and suffering the effects of the heat, as well.

When the Fraziers returned to their car at 11:35 a.m., deputies were waiting for them. They were charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty each.

A Hillsborough County Pet Resources investigator also responded to the scene. A rectal temperature was taken on Beast, the sheriff’s office said. The dog’s temperature should have been 101 degrees. It registered 110 instead.

“The investigator measured the interior temperature of the Fraizers’ vehicle at 130 degrees with the doors closed and one broken window,” the email stated.

Pet Resources took custody of both dogs and is providing treatment, the sheriff’s office said.

The Fraziers were being booked into the Hillsborough County Jail Friday evening.

Friday’s incident comes on the heels of state Sen. Dorothy Hukill introducing legislation that would make it less complicated for first responders and good Samaritans to break out car windows to rescue animals left inside vehicles. Dubbed the Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety Act, the bill would also make leaving pets in sealed up vehicles a criminal offense.

Photos of Scooby Doo, the Mazda and thermometer courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office