In Cornelius, North Carolina, a woman helped a dog trapped in a vehicle with its windows closed on a 90-degree day by giving him water; the responding police officer chided her and told her she had “no right” to do so.
In a viral Instagram post, Suzanne Vella had been walking through a parking lot on June 7, when she spotted a dog heavily panting inside of a parked vehicle. The vehicle’s windows were closed, and no one was around. Being a dog lover and a compassionate and kind human being, she immediately called for help.
Suzanne called 911. While waiting, she looked around for anyone walking towards the vehicle, hoping to find the dog’s owner, but after looking around, she felt she had to do more. The vehicle was unlocked, which prompted the woman to open the door and give the dog water. The pup was very hot and eagerly accepted the water.
I was really concerned because i know it only takes a few minutes for dogs to go into heat stroke. it was a 90-degree day. It wasn’t even a decision. I knew.
It took eight minutes for the officer to arrive, and he immediately reprimanded her for opening the door of the vehicle to help the dog. He told her she had no right to open the door. The owner had returned before the officer arrived. The officer repeatedly asked the vehicle’s owner if he wanted to press charges against the woman. The man declined and left.
No doubt, Suzanne agreed that she doesn’t have a right to open someone else’s car door, but she repeatedly explained to the officer, that if there is a dog on a 90-degree day locked in a hot vehicle panting, she would always give it water.
In North Carolina, a officer cannot arrest a dog’s owner for animal cruelty unless he witnesses the act, and in this case, the officer arrived after the dog was drinking water and was not alone.
No charges were filed against Suzanne or the dog’s owner, however the Cornelius Police Department did issue a statement on a video on their Facebook page indicating they have ordered an internal investigation into the officer’s actions.
Check this out: (The actual conversation between Suzanne and the officer is recorded here.)
The video has garnered more than one million views and received thousands of comments supporting Suzanne’s actions helping the dog. Although we never advocate for anyone to break the law, but surely any compassionate and reasonable human would have done the same.
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