Neal J. Riley is a digital producer for CBS Boston. He has been with WBZ-TV since 2014. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle. Neal is a graduate of Boston University.
DEDHAM - A dog owner left his two Huskies tied to a car on a hot day in Dedham while he got fitted for a suit, according to animal control.
Video posted by Dedham Animal Control shows the two dogs apparently panting while seeking shelter from the sun and hot pavement underneath the car that was parked at Legacy Place. It happened Friday afternoon when the temperature was 89 degrees outside and a thunderstorm was moving in, the agency said. It's believed the dogs had been tied up for at least 45 minutes, animal control said.
On Friday, around 3pm, we responded to a call for two dogs, left tied to a parked motor vehicle at Legacy Place. It was 89 degrees outside.
Per the reporting parties (having gone in/out of a store), the dogs had been there for at least 45 minutes, prior to our arrival; initially lying on the pavement, next to the vehicle to which they were tied.
Upon our arrival, the dogs (identified as huskies) were lying as far as they could reach [with the remaining slack from their leashes] underneath the motor vehicle, where they had crawled, unarguably for shelter from the sun and relief from the hot pavement.
After a bit of coaxing, we were finally able to lure one of the (very timid and stressed) dogs close enough to remove its ID tag, which included a phone number.
The owner of the dogs had been inside a clothing store, ‘getting fitted for a suit’.
After we explained the reason for our call response, the party advised us that he ‘just’ needed ‘another nine minutes' [to complete his suit alterations]. He didn’t even get close enough to check on his dogs, nor seem concerned about our response to the situation -what we advised as both the dangers and legalities surrounding tethering dogs [which also included a leash barely exceeding four feet in length since it was wrapped around a rear tire shortening its length by about two feet], as well as the extreme weather conditions to which the dogs were subject.
At this time, we also noted that there was a threatening [thunderstorm] looming, only enhancing the anxiety of the dogs.
The party argued that his decision [to leave the dogs tied outside the hot motor vehicle] ‘was better than leaving [the dogs] inside the hot motor vehicle’, to which we were too upset to even debate.
Over the last couple of months, we have done a lot of reporting about incidents that violate MA law on leaving dogs inside hot cars.
If you are wondering where this particular incident falls, it is under Mass. General Laws c.140 § 174E: ‘A person shall not leave a dog outside when a weather advisory, warning or watch is issued by a local, state or federal authority or when outside environmental conditions including, but not limited to, extreme heat, cold, wind, rain, snow or hail pose an adverse risk to the health or safety of the dog based on the dog's breed, age or physical condition, unless the tethering is for not more than 15 minutes.’
A shout out to Olivia and Tayler, for calling us, for supplying ice/water, and for once again proving ‘if you see something, say something’ really may save animals.
The animal control officer got the owner's phone number off the ID tag of one of the "very timid and stressed" dogs. He was inside a clothing store and reportedly told the officer he "just" needed another few minutes to complete his suit alterations.
"He didn't even get close enough to check on his dogs, nor seem concerned about our response to the situation," animal control said.
Dog owner cited in Dedham
The owner argued that leaving his dogs tied outside the car in the heat was better than leaving them inside, the agency said. He was cited under a Massachusetts law that says a person should not leave a dog outside when there's a weather advisory for extreme conditions.
Animal control also thanked two good Samaritans who gave the dogs ice and water, and encouraged the public to "see something, say something."
Multiple instances of dogs left in hot cars
Dedham animal control has been sharing incidents of dogs left in hot cars throughout the summer. In July, the agency shared a video of a husky panting inside a hot locked car while its owner was shopping inside a supermarket.
"We aren't going to stop posting these until it stops," animal control said.
Neal J. Riley is a digital producer for CBS Boston. He has been with WBZ-TV since 2014. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle. Neal is a graduate of Boston University.
