Charges: Couple left puppy in car on hot September day
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - A South Dakota couple has been charged with mistreatment of an animal for leaving a puppy in their pickup truck on a hot day in Minneapolis in September.
Rebecca Michelle Leier, 40, and Zakary Paul Leier, 42, both of Hillcity, South Dakota are both charged with two counts of mistreatment of animals.
According to the criminal complaint, on September 24 at 11:45 a.m., a witness called Minneapolis Animal Control, saying they saw a yellow Labrador puppy left in a Chevrolet Silverado on the 600 block of 10th Street South. The witness told officials the temperature was 110 degrees and the dog didn't have ventilation or water. The witness also mentioned the Minnesota Vikings were playing a home game nearby, but it is unclear in the court documents if the couple attended the game.
When animal control officers found the truck they saw all four windows were open "a crack." The puppy was lying on the floor under a seat "trying to escape the sun and heat." In the front seat cup holder, there was a small cup of water and a plastic water bottle with the lid on it. Officials determined the truck was registered to the Leier couple.
When the officers knocked on the window, the puppy did not respond, so they broke a window and took the puppy to the emergency vet.
The dog was left overnight at the emergency vet and the Leiers called the next day asking how to get their dog back.