Puppies Rescued from Car in Parking Garage Adopted by District Fire Department Staff Who Helped Save The Animals

Puppies Rescued from Car in Parking Garage Adopted by District Fire Department Staff Who Helped Save The Animals

Orange County, FL - Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) assisted in the rescue of four "Bernedoodle" (Bernese Mountain Dog, Poodle) puppies from a car parked in a Disney Springs parking garage on the evening of Saturday, May 4. One puppy was found unresponsive and, despite intervention by paramedics and Veterinary Emergency Clinic, euthanized due to the extent of the injuries. The remaining three puppies were able to recover with medical assistance and have been adopted by Central Florida Tourism Oversight District's Fire Department staff. OCAS is sharing this information to highlight the importance of not leaving pets in cars, no matter the location.

"Every summer we deal with cases like this, where someone runs into a store, the mall or similar venue and opts to leave their pet in the car, assuming it'll be a short trip," said Diane Summers, Manager of Orange County Animal Services. "It's heartbreaking and infuriating for our staff and animal loving community when pet owners make this mistake as preventable tragedy can and does occur."

In this instance, the owner had recently purchased the puppies from a breeder. The owner stopped at Disney Springs to have dinner with family, assuming the covered parking garage and cracking a window would be okay for the dogs. The owner was gone for approximately 90 minutes leading to the dogs needing rescued. An alert security guard saw the puppies in distress and contacted authorities.

"People have this misconception that shade or cracking the window will alleviate any concerns of overheating, it's simply not the case, an animal should never be left in a car, especially during the summer months of Florida," said Summers.

Just two weeks ago, on April 21, a similar incident happened at Goodwill on Lake Underhill Road in Orlando. A 7-month-old Shih Tzu puppy was left in the car while its owner was inside. Orange County Fire Rescue recorded a temperature of 140 degrees in the car when they got the animal out. The puppy was able to recover at one of OCAS' local partner Veterinary Emergency Clinics and was later released to a rescue group.

Animal Services is imploring the public not to leave pets in cars. Additionally, anyone witnessing a pet left in a car without air-conditioning running is encouraged to contact law enforcement immediately.

Both the April 21 and May 4 case have been turned over to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.