Two Bridgewater Women Face Charges After Dogs Die in Hot Car

BRIDGEWATER (WBSM) — Two women will face animal cruelty charges in the deaths of two dogs they allegedly left to die in a sweltering car.

According to Bridgewater Police Chief Christopher Delmonte, the department will file a complaint charging the two women with cruelty to animals and confinement of an animal in a motor vehicle causing exposure to extreme heat.

The women were not identified by name, only as a 59-year-old woman and a 32-year-old woman, both of Bridgewater. They will each be summonsed to Brockton District Court for arraignment at a later date.

READ MORE: New Bedford Woman Charged After Cats Die in Hot Car

Delmonte said that on Wednesday, July 16 at about 4:35 p.m., Officer Nicholas Mantalos and Detective Nicolas Chmielinski responded to 911 calls reporting that two women were screaming and crying outside of a condo building on Heather Lane.

Authorities arrived and “saw what appeared to be two medium-sized dogs lying on the ground next to concrete steps near the home and determined they were both deceased,” according to Delmonte.

It was determined that the two women had left the dogs in a vehicle for more than 90 minutes, with the windows closed and no air conditioning. Delmonte said the Bridgewater Fire Department determined it was at least 130 degrees inside the vehicle.

Delmonte said it was also determined that the dogs had been living in “unsanitary conditions” inside the home.

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Bridgewater Animal Control took custody of the dogs and transported them to an animal medical center for a necropsy.

"This is a heartbreaking and entirely preventable tragedy. No pet should ever be left in a vehicle on a warm day in direct sunlight, even for a few minutes. Temperatures inside a car can rise to deadly levels in a matter of minutes, even with the windows cracked. We urge everyone to think twice and take the necessary steps to protect their pets from extreme heat." – Bridgewater Police Chief Christopher Delmonte

The incident took place a day after a New Bedford woman was charged with animal cruelty after leaving three cats in a hot vehicle, two of which died as a result.