BEAVERTON, Ore. — The Beaverton Police Department said Saturday that officers arrested a man after he left his dog in a hot car, leading to the dog's death.
Shortly after 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, officers were called to the 4700 block of Southwest Murray Boulevard for a report of a distressed dog locked in a vehicle.
Officers arrived to find a 2-year-old German Shepherd locked inside of a vehicle with all of the windows up. The dog, which officers later learned was named "Gazer," was in medical distress when they arrived. Police said that the outside temperature was 89 degrees at the time.
In a statement, Beaverton police did not describe how they got into the vehicle, but officers were able to remove Gazer. Once outside, neighbors helped officers in trying to cool the dog down.
"Officers learned Gazer had been in the vehicle for at least 35 minutes," Beaverton police said in a statement.
Despite attempts to stabilize him, Gazer was still in medical distress. Police took him to a nearby veterinary hospital. Staff at the vet office tried to help the dog, but determined that his condition was "not survivable."
Somehow Gazer's owner, identified as Calvin Jordan, had been contacted at this point. Beaverton police said that he consulted with the vet staff and made the decision to euthanize the German Shepherd.
Police arrested Jordan on a charge of first-degree animal abuse, booking him into the Washington County Jail.
Beaverton police cited the American Veterinary Medical Association, which says that the inside air temperature of a vehicle can rise 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, almost 30 degrees in 30 minutes and 40 degrees in an hour.
“'Cracking a window' makes no difference," police said. "The Beaverton Police Department would like to remind animal owners to remember: 'If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for them.'"
