ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – After four Bernedoodle puppies were rescued from a hot car Saturday evening at Disney Springs, one has since died and the three survivors were adopted by staff at the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Fire Department, according to Orange County Animal Services.
The owner, who had recently purchased the puppies from a breeder, stopped at Disney Springs to have dinner with family “assuming the covered parking garage and cracking a window would be okay for the dogs,” a news release states. After around 90 minutes, an alert security guard noticed the puppies in distress and contacted authorities, according to the release.
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One of the puppies was found unresponsive and was later euthanized due to the extent of its injuries despite intervention by paramedics and a local veterinary clinic, according to OCAS.
“Every summer we deal with cases like this, where someone runs into a store, the mall, or similar venue and opts to leave their pet in the car, assuming it’ll be a short trip,” OCAS Division Manager Diane Summers said in a statement. “It’s heartbreaking and infuriating for our staff and animal-loving community when pet owners make this mistake as preventable tragedy can and does occur.”
In the release, OCAS hearkened back to a recent incident April 21 in which a 7-month-old Shih Tzu puppy was left in a car while its owner was inside a Goodwill on Lake Underhill Road. Orange County Fire Rescue noted a temperature of 140 degrees in the car when the puppy was rescued, adding it was later able to recover at a OCAS partner clinic and be released to a rescue group, the release states.
Both cases have since been turned over to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, according to the release.
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