Three ‘Bernedoodle’ pups, pulled Saturday from a hot car in a parking garage and resuscitated, have been adopted by their rescuers, averting a tragedy that has become common in the Sunshine State as rising temperatures turn locked vehicles into ovens.
A fourth puppy could not be revived.
The 13-week-old, designer-bred pups, a mix of Bernese mountain dog and poodle, were discovered “in distress” Saturday by a security worker patrolling the shaded parking garage at Disney Springs, an outdoor dining, entertainment and shopping complex near the Magic Kingdom.
The dogs’ owner, who was not identified, had recently purchased them from a breeder, then stopped at Disney Springs to have dinner with family, according to a press release. He left the pups in the parked vehicle in the shaded garage with a window cracked open, assuming they would be OK, Animal Services officials said.
But during the 90 minutes the owner was gone, the temperature inside the vehicle quickly soared.
“Every summer we deal with far too many cases like this, where someone runs into a store, the mall or a restaurant, opting to leave their pet in a locked car, thinking they won’t be long and their pet will be OK,” said Diane Summers, Orange County Animal Services director.
But very often, it’s not, she said.
“It’s always a heartbreaking tragedy and preventable,” Summers said.
Bryant Almeida, spokesperson for Animal Services, said a similar incident happened April 21 outside a Goodwill thrift store on Lake Underhill Road in Orlando. He said the owner of a 7-month-old Shih Tzu left the puppy in the vehicle while they went inside to browse.
Orange County Fire Rescue recorded a temperature of 140 degrees in the car when they got the animal out, Almeida said.
The puppy recovered at an emergency veterinary clinic, and was then released to a rescue group.
Almeida said both incidents were referred to Orange County sheriff’s deputies.
“Ultimately it’s their decision whether or not to pursue criminal charges,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said a report was not yet available on the incident involving the Bernedoodle pups, describing the probe as “still in its early stages,” but noted that investigators with the agency’s Agricultural Crimes Unit investigators believe there is probable cause for felony animal cruelty charges.
At Disney Springs, firefighter/paramedics from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Fire Department responded to a 911 call and provided life-saving care to the puppies, running IV lines, providing oxygen and applying cooling packs, said Matthew Thomas Oberly, District spokesperson.
In an email, Oberly said the three pups, Rose, Jordan and Rosina, each adopted and named by a firefighter, “are said to be doing well and enjoying their new lives with their life-saving and life-changing families.”
“During the summer, the district is adamant that people do not leave anyone unattended in a vehicle – including the fur members of their family,” he said.
Almeida said a Bernedoodle, prized for their intelligence, social demeanor and cute, cuddly, mop-headed looks, can cost $1,000 or more.
He suggested pet owners leave their animal with someone in the car with the air conditioning running.
“Or,” Almeida said, “Just leave your dog at home.”
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