Owner With Dog In Hot Truck Previously Called Out In Vienna

VIENNA, VA—The owner confronted for leaving his dog in a hot truck bed on July 4 in Tysons Corner had done something similar before, one witness says.

This time, it was in the dead of winter in Vienna, the witness told Patch.

The person, who wishes to remain anonymous, recalls following the same owner the night of Jan. 14 from Park Street in Vienna to Merrifield. She remembers seeing a whitish colored dog in the truck bed of the black Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 truck.

When the truck pulled into a gas station, the witness confronted him and expressed concern about the dog being in the truck bed on a cold night. She added that the dog could ride along inside the cab and out of the cold.

"He basically stared at me with deadpan expression, said the dog was fine & told me not to worry about it. I told him I was worried, especially because of the added wind chill & lowered temps to which the dog was subjected while riding in the bed of the truck," writes the witness.

The witness confirmed the same license plate number captured in the viral Tysons Corner post.

The owner had been confronted outside a Tysons Corner restaurant for leaving his dog in the truck bed while having lunch. A witness to the confrontation said Fairfax County Animal Control couldn't evaluate the dog's condition because the owner left the scene.

Virginia law requires owners to not transport animals for "24 consecutive hours without being exercised, properly rested, fed and watered as necessary." The animals must also have adequate space.

However, the Humane Society urges owners to not leave pets in truck beds. The group estimates 100,000 or more dogs riding in truck beds die in accidents every year.

Image and video via Tommy Robb, used with permission