Costco has long been known for its hot dogs, but it was the quick actions of Livermore animal services officers that recently saved one from being cooked in the searing summer heat.
It was around 11:45 a.m. on July 11, in the middle of a heat wave, when Livermore Police received a call about a dog in distress inside a Jeep in the Costco parking lot at 2800 Independence Drive.
Animal services officers arrived to find the dog heavily panting inside the Jeep, which was locked with its windows closed and the sunroof slightly open. The outdoor temperature at the time was 101 degrees, but officers said a temperature reading found it to be 112-131 degrees inside the vehicle.
“If we would have let this dog inside the car any further, it could have possibly led to death.”
Officer Kevin Leon, Livermore Police Animal Services
Police decided to break the window to free the dog. They took it to a veterinarian, who said he was OK. The dog was estimated to have been in the vehicle for at least an hour.
“If we would have let this dog inside the car any further, it could have possibly led to death,” said Livermore Police Animal Services Officer Kevin Leon. “We don’t want to get to that point of having to retrieve a deceased animal because someone was neglectful.”
The dog’s owner faces a fine as well as the veterinary and shelter fees, police said. He’ll pay for his own broken window as well.