A Washington man is facing two misdemeanor charges after an animal control officer saved his dog by breaking it out of the vehicle he left it in before going to see a movie.
Animal Protection Operations Manager Nicole Montano said the officer should be commended for saving the life of a helpless animal.
“Animal Protection Officer Francie Rapier responded to a report of a dog in a Ford Explorer. When she arrived, she found a basset hound was locked inside and the four windows had been lowered about one-inch. While the outside temperature was 80-degrees, the initial temperature inside the vehicle had already climbed to 97-degrees and the dog was panting heavily,” Montano said in an interview with KREM.
“Officer Rapier made several attempts but was unable to unlock the vehicle and called the Spokane Valley Fire Department for assistance. The fire department was also unsuccessful and APO Rapier made the decision to break the driver’s side wing window to free the dog. By this time, the inside temperature was 114-degrees,” she added.
According to KREM, Justin D. Dalton has been cited for Unsafe Confinement and Animal Cruelty in the Second-Degree. Dalton admited to Rapier that he was watching a movie with his son.
