Woman who shoved dog in trunk of car on hot day gets probation

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The woman who was caught on video shoving her dog into the trunk of her car on a hot day was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation.

Sara Perry pleaded no contest to an animal cruelty cruelty charge, just days before her jury trial was set to begin.

Records show Perry was also ordered to pay $1,737 in court costs.

As part of her probation, Perry is prohibited from owning, possessing or caring for any animals.

In August 2019, surveillance cameras outside the Humane Society of Brevard County captured her shoving her dog, Neptune, inside the trunk of her car after an employee at the shelter told her she couldn’t surrender the animal.

“Then she asked if we would euthanize it and we said we do not euthanize animals just because people don’t want them and she got angry, so we gave her the information to go to another shelter,” Executive Director Theresa Clifton said at the time.

Photos of Perry’s license plate help authorities track her down and take custody of the dog.

A veterinarian determined that Neptune was emaciated to the point of having almost no visible body fat. Perry said she was unable to feed the dog.

Since then, Neptune has gained weight and was adopted earlier this month.