A Bowling Green man, Norman Hartsel, 81, was cited for animal cruelty after he allegedly left his dog in his vehicle on Wednesday (July 1) afternoon, when temperatures reached 99 degrees.
Bowling Green Police Division was called around 2:40 p.m., by a woman who saw the Irish Setter in a car in the Meijer parking lot on East Wooster Street. The windows were partially open, but the car was not running. She told police the dog appeared to be in distress.
A police license plate reader reportedly showed the vehicle near Meijer 20 minutes prior to the call to police.
The responding officer noted that the dog was panting heavily and drooling. The car was unlocked, so the officer got the dog out and put it in the police cruiser and cranked up the air conditioning.
When Hartsel returned to his vehicle, he reportedly told police that he had just taken his dog for a run at the golf course, and had a bowl of water in the car for the dog. The officer, however, reported that there was just a paper plate on the back floorboard.
The police report noted that Hartsel argued that with the windows cracked, it couldn’t be hotter in the car than outside. The officer countered that the beating sun and the black leather seats made it hotter in the vehicle. The police report noted that Hartsel disagreed.
