Woman arrested for animal cruelty; puppies left in hot car

A Hickory County woman has been charged with 13 counts of animal cruelty after 10 puppies were left in a hot car outside a Springfield bar and did not survive.

Macey Casteel, 30, of Pittsburg, Missouri, was arrested July 14 after Springfield police officers found her car outside a bar with dogs inside, according to a probable cause statement. The name and address of the bar have been redacted from public court records.

Officials were first notified of the car, a white Toyota Corolla, at around 6:20 a.m. Sunday morning. After an inspection at that time, officials concluded the animals were fine and scheduled another appointment for 9 a.m., the statement said.

Three hours later, the dogs were still in the car, according to the statement filed against Casteel. Officers returned around 9:40 a.m. and reportedly heard several dogs whining from the car and saw one dog panting heavily. Officers also reportedly saw dogs that appeared to be dead.

When a police officer opened the car, he was told the temperature was over 38 degrees Celsius. He pulled out three plastic crates, two of which were filled with small puppies stacked on top of each other. They had no access to water, food or fresh air, the statement said.

According to police, six of the puppies appeared to be breathing and only one was able to stand. The others felt “lifeless,” the officer reported – each puppy was hot and its fur was damp and matted. A 13th puppy was found hiding under the passenger seat of the car.

The animals were taken to an emergency veterinary clinic, where only three survived.

Casteel returned to her car after officers rescued the animals and was arrested. According to the statement, Casteel was transporting the puppies – 9-week-old mini cockapoos, she said – to Oklahoma for sale.

After her arrest, Casteel told officers that she had visited a friend at the bar around 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning and left the engine running to cool the dogs down. Some time later, she was driven to a friend’s house. Casteel reportedly told police that she remembered the dogs around 4 a.m. and asked them to take them back to her car, but the friend refused, so Casteel fell asleep again. When she returned to the bar, police officers were standing around her car.

Under Missouri law, cruelty to animals is a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted, the offense can result in up to one year in prison and/or a fine of up to $2,000.

Joe Hadsall

Joe Hadsall is an education reporter for the Springfield Daily Citizen. Hadsall has more than twenty years of experience as an Ozarks reporter for the Joplin Globe, Christian County Headliner News and 417 Magazine. Reach him at (417) 837-3671 or [email protected]. More from Joe Hadsall