Another dog found in hot car in Dedham, the 6th incident this month, officials say

DEDHAM, Mass. — Officials expressed their frustration Wednesday after responding to yet another dog found locked in a hot car in Dedham.

According to Animal Control Officer Deni Goldman, the latest incident involved a pooch in the back seat of a vehicle in the BJ’s parking lot. Only two windows on the car were rolled down — about 6 inches.

The temperature inside the vehicle varied between 99.6, 100.2, and 105.8, eventually reaching 117.6.

“How the dog was still conscious and alert is both a blessing and an astonishment,” the ACO wrote in a social media post. “We are pretty certain that had we not come across this dog when we did, and had BJ’s not been so incredibly responsive with their support and their overhead paging system, this may have ended very tragically.”

The dog was stressed when officers arrived and became aggressive, which they say is a natural response — whether it be protective, fear-based, and/or resource-guarded.

Officials also learned the dog was not vaccinated for rabies which presented additional problems while trying to calm the dog down.

The owner was quickly located inside the store so that he could remove the dog from the car himself. He was cited under Massachusetts General Law Part I, Title XX, Chapter 140, Section 174F.

Dedham authorities say this is the 6th time in August that they’ve written citations for dogs in hot cars.

“We are contemplating adding an incident reporting type category for ‘dogs in hot cars’ because in a pie chart of call types, it’s become a big piece,” Animal Control said. “We have had more calls for dogs in hot cars this summer than we have had for barking dog complaints!”

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