Dog Dies In Hot Mercedes While Owner Goes Shopping: Oak Brook Police

OAK BROOK, IL — Oak Brook police tried in vain to rescue a dog that was trapped in a hot Mercedes-Benz as its owner was shopping Thursday. Police charged Mary R. Smith, 60, of Glen Ellyn, with cruel treatment as designated under the Humane Care of Animals Act, according to ABC 7.

The temperature outside was more than 80 degrees Fahrenheit when Smith reported left her dog in the car when she went shopping at Oakbrook Shopping Center at 100 Oak Brook Center. At approximately 7:48 p.m., police were called to the scene. They arrived to find the dog trapped inside Smith's Mercedes. ABC 7 reports that the windows were rolled all the way up and fogged by the dog's struggled attempts to breathe. Officers said the dog did not respond to outside noises and that its breathing was very shallow, according to ABC 7.

After police were able to remove the dog from the steaming car, they took it to an animal hospital in Downers Grove. Smith's dog was pronounced dead within an hour. NBC 5 reports that the dog's body temperature was 109 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 10 degrees above the average body temperature for a dog.

Oak Brook Police posted a PSA on Facebook reminding the public to never leave pets or children inside a hot vehicle as it can only take minutes for them to succumb to the heat.

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