Last weekend, tragedy struck when a group of Bernedoodle puppies were left in a hot car while their owners dined at a Disney Springs restaurant in Orlando. Of the four puppies, one sadly did not survive, while the other three were rescued just in time by Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) after being locked in the car for 90 minutes with only one window cracked. The incident sparked outrage among animal lovers and officials, with OCAS Manager Diane Summers expressing both heartbreak and anger over the preventable tragedy.
The distressing situation began when a security guard noticed the puppies in the hot car and called for help from OCAS rescuers. By the time authorities arrived, one of the puppies was unresponsive and had to be euthanized due to the severity of its injuries. The other three puppies were able to receive immediate medical intervention and ultimately made full recoveries. The owner of the puppies admitted to leaving them in the car while dining with family, mistakenly believing that parking in a covered garage and cracking a window would be sufficient to keep the dogs safe.
The temperature in Orlando that evening was a stifling 86 degrees, likely causing the interior of the car to reach 102 degrees within just 10 minutes, according to the ASPCA. Summers emphasized the danger of leaving animals in cars during the summer months, debunking the myth that shade or cracked windows provide adequate relief from overheating. The surviving dogs were taken away from their neglectful owner, who had recently purchased them from a breeder in Ohio, and were adopted by the caring staff of the Reedy Creek Fire Department.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is contemplating whether to file felony animal cruelty charges against the owner responsible for the tragic incident involving the Bernedoodle puppies. This is not the first time OCAS has dealt with such cases, as just two weeks prior, a 7-month-old Shih Tzu puppy was rescued from a 140-degree car during a shopping trip at an Orlando Goodwill. Although the Shih Tzu puppy was able to recover and was placed in the care of a rescue group, the repeated instances of animals being left in hot cars highlight the importance of education and awareness about the dangers of such negligence.
The devastating loss of one puppy and the miraculous rescue of the three surviving Bernedoodles serve as a somber reminder of the consequences of leaving animals unattended in hot vehicles. The Disney Springs incident underscores the need for pet owners to prioritize their animals’ safety and well-being, especially during the sweltering summer months in Florida. OCAS continues to urge the public to never leave animals in cars, emphasizing that shade and cracked windows are not enough to protect pets from the dangers of overheating. Through education, enforcement, and responsible pet ownership, tragedies like the one at Disney Springs can hopefully be prevented in the future.
