Woman Arrested After Puppy Dies In Hot Car

FOLSOM, Calif. (CBS13) -- A Rancho Cordova woman has been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly leaving her dog inside a hot car, fatally dehydrating him.

The Folsom Police Department said officers found a 6 month old Pomeranian/Shih Tzu mix puppy, Gizmo, lying on the rear floorboard of a black Honda parked in a Winco lot around 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Investigators said the owner had lowered some of the vehicle's windows by about two inches, but called the effort a token measure in the face of the rising heat inside the car.

"If you're in an oven and it's 150 degrees inside the oven, and someone opens the oven half an inch, it's still 150 degrees where you are," said Folsom Police Sgt. Chris Emery.

Gizmo was panting heavily when officers arrived and was likely left alone in the overheated vehicle for more than one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hours. Officers immediately put the puppy in an air conditioned patrol car, doused him with water and rushed him to the Blue Ravine Pet Hospital for treatment, but Gizmo's condition rapidly deteriorated and he died during the night.

Animal services officials said external temperatures of 86 degrees can cause the temperature inside of a vehicle to skyrocket past 150 degrees within 15 to 20 minutes. Officers recorded an external temperature of 93 degrees when they arrived at the scene.

Officers arrested 21-year-old TiAndra Davis on a felony charge of cruelty to animals Thursday and booked her into the Sacramento County Main Jail on $10,000 bail.