Question

I went into Walmart for 10 minutes and had the police called because it was July 3rd and the youngest dog was barking at everyone .
Total time was 18 minutes and another 10 that the police was telling me to just go home and then change their mind back and forth until deciding to charge me with cruelty.

I’ve had this dog for almost 10 years and his son for 2 years . I love them dearly and always think of ways to spoil them and treat them

My girl friend always wanted to make them her service dogs because of issues she has.

My case has been pushed back over and over because of court congestion.

They have vet records, look great, 100s of pictures and testimonies of me being a hood dog owner, pedigree etc.

I know they are gonna want to charge me nonetheless and I am sorry for peoples concerns and the 10-15 minutes the police spent dealing with me. I wasn’t trying to alarm anyone or hurt my dogs. I only intended to let them get the outdoor smells and breeze of the car ride as I got materials for home chores as we had not done anything fun for 2 days.

What will the court make me do? Foster? Surrender?

Answer

I hope the dogs are doing well. While it is possible that upon conviction for animal neglect a court could order that the convicted person’s right to possess the animal be terminated, that is not likely to happen if the court is convinced that the otherwise well cared for animal will not be left unattended in a vehicle again. Cars can become ovens for animals trapped inside. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, when the outside temperature is 80 degrees F, the inside of a vehicle can go to 99 degrees in just 10 minutes and to 109 degrees in 20 minutes!

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