Bernedoodle Killed, 3 Rescued from Hot Car at Disney Springs

US News

From Katherine Donlevy

A puppy was killed and three others were rescued just in time last weekend after their owners left them in a hot car while they gorged themselves at a Disney Springs restaurant while the outside temperature was a stifling 86 degrees, officials said.

The little Bernedoodles sweated for 90 minutes in the locked, unair-conditioned car, with only one window open, before help arrived.

“It is heartbreaking and upsetting for our employees and our animal-loving community when pet owners make this mistake, because a preventable tragedy can and does happen,” Diane Summers, manager of Orange County Animal Services (OCAS), said in a statement statement on Wednesday.

OCAS rescuers rushed to the Disney Springs parking garage after a security guard noticed the puppies in distress.

One of the dogs, which is a cross between a Bernese Mountain Dog and a poodle, was unresponsive when authorities arrived and had injuries so severe that paramedics were forced to euthanize the suffering animal, the OCAS said.

His three friends were rescued just in time and were able to fully recover after medical intervention.

The owner told authorities that they had stopped at Disney Springs that evening to have dinner with the family, “assuming the covered parking garage and breaking a window were OK for the dogs.”

The temperature in the Orlando area reached 86 degrees that evening, meaning the car’s interior temperature likely rose to 102 degrees in just 10 minutes, according to the ASPCA.

The poor Bernedoodles sat in the stuffy car for an hour and a half.

“People mistakenly believe that shade or opening the window alleviates fear of overheating. That’s simply not the case. An animal should never be left in a car, especially during the Florida summer months,” Summers said.

The surviving dogs were taken from the negligent owner, who had recently purchased the four from an Ohio breeder, and have since been adopted by Reedy Creek Fire Department personnel.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is still deciding whether or not to charge the owner with animal cruelty.

According to OCAS, this is the second incident in just two weeks.

On April 21, a 7-month-old Shih Tzu puppy was rescued from a 140-degree car while his careless owner was shopping at an Orlando Goodwill.

Fortunately, the puppy was able to recover and was handed over to a rescue group.