Dog dies in hot car; owner charged

AUSTIN (KXAN) - An Austin man was arrested on Tuesday for reportedly leaving his dog in a hot car while he shopped in an electronics store, killing the 2-year-old Weimaraner named Stedman.

Austin police arrested Christopher Richard Schmitt, 25, on charges of cruelty to a non-livestock animal, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in jail.

The dog had severe heat stroke, seizures, vomiting, intestinal damage and broken blood vessels and had to be euthanized, police said.

Schmitt told police that he went to Fry’s to make a quick exchange and was in the store for no more than 20 minutes. In addition, he claimed that the driver side window had been cracked, and he tried to park by a small tree with shade.

But a witness and emergency crews told a different story, according to the arrest warrant.

"According to witnesses at the scene, the windows were completely rolled up in the vehicle, so along with the heat of the day and the dog moving around and panting inside the car, the temperature could climb quickly," said Alan Schwettmann, of the Austin Police Department's Animal Cruelty Unit.

Authorities say that on July 5, the Austin Fire Department responded to the Fry’s Electronics parking lot at 12709 N. Mopac Expy, following a report of a dog in distress inside a vehicle.

The witness reported that the dog was in a car with all the doors and windows closed and locked, and that it had just collapsed.

AFD arrived around 1 p.m. and broke out the driver side window to rescue the dog. Crews reported that the dog was unresponsive when they made contact and immediately transported it to the Austin Vet Care clinic on Metric Blvd.

Police received an 11-page fax on July 8 that contained Stedman’s medical report. The clinic noted that the dog’s temperature was 109.8 degrees and that the dog had visible signs of broken capillary blood vessels.

The clinic’s assessment of Stedman was listed as follows: heat stroke with possible DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation). An hour after arrival the dog had a seizure followed by vomiting and signs of intestinal problems.

Just two hours after arriving, the Austin Vet Care clinic was forced to euthanize the dog.

The witness told police that he noticed the dog in the car that had been there before he entered the store. He said that the dog’s mouth was wide open and covered with a thick mucous. He also noted the dog’s ribcage was heaving, and its legs were shaking. He called for help after the dog collapsed inside of the car.

Based on statements from a witness and the suspect, police believe Schmitt intentionally, knowingly or recklessly caused serious bodily injury to an animal inside a locked car.

Animal experts say that it's a common misconception that animals can survive if the windows are cracked, or if the car is parked in the shade. They said people often think that dogs, in particular, can handle high temperatures.

Wrong, said Charlotte Biggs, proprietor of Stay-N-Play Pet Ranch in Dripping Springs, which also does rehabilitation on injured animals. In fact, even jogging or walking with a dog in high heat can hurt or kill them, experts said.

“They can get overheated much quicker than we can," Biggs said. "Their temperature can shoot up to 104, 105 in just a matter of ten to fifteen minutes, and that can lead to a seizure. ...

 “Even cracking a window a little bit, thinking they’ll be okay isn’t enough in this kind of heat to keep them safe. There’s not enough breeze. They don’t cool down the way we do they cool down by panting.”

 And although they wouldn't have helped Stedman by the time he was found, Biggs offered some tips on how to keep your dog cool and comfortable in heat - other than the obvious step of keeping them indoors.

• Put rubbing alcohol on the pads of their feet - it's one of the quickest ways to cool them down
• Get cold water across and inside the mouth as quickly as possible
• Put a fan on them
• Rub them down with wet clothes
• Douse them with cold water