Woman Pleads No Contest To Animal Endangerment After Dog Dies
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — An Inglewood woman who left her dog in her car for hours with the windows closed last year pleaded no contest Tuesday to a misdemeanor animal endangerment charge.
The woman's dog had to be euthanized after suffering heat stroke.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Cynthia Rayvis sentenced Eloisa Asuncion Zapata to three years probation, one year of counseling involving animals and 150 hours of Caltrans service.
She was also ordered not to own, possess or maintain any animals for the next three years, according to Deputy District Attorney Lisa Houle.
Zapata's 6-year-old shepherd mix, Princess, was comatose after being left in the woman's Mitsubishi Mirage last April 3, according to the prosecutor.
A passerby noticed the dog in distress inside the woman's sedan on Sawyer Street in West Los Angeles. Police broke one of the vehicle's windows to get to the dog.
Despite temperatures being in the mid-60s, the dog's internal temperature was more than 107 degrees, according to the prosecutor.
Another prosecutor who filed the case said it illustrated how quickly pets can become overheated in a closed car -- even when temperatures are not at summer highs.
"Studies have shown that a healthy dog, whose normal body temperature ranges from 101 to 102.5 degrees, can withstand a body temperature of 107 to 108 degrees for only a short time before suffering brain damage or death," Deputy District Attorney Debbie KnaanKnaan said last year.
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