Kojack and Dingo, a bloodhound and a Dutch Shepherd respectively, died from heat exhaustion in a police vehicle last week, the Baltimore Sun reports.
The dogs’ deaths were attributed to the failure of the vehicle’s air-conditioning system. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, on a 90-degree day temperatures inside a car can reach 109 degrees within 10 minutes, and 119 within 20 minutes. Leaving a cat or dog in parked vehicle in a way that endangers their health is a violation in Maryland, punishable by a $70 fine.
Judging from the Sun story, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services — the city agency responsible for the two dogs — is being pretty tight-lipped about what actually happened to the dogs. They haven’t said what day the incident took place, how long the dogs had been in the car, or how long the dogs had worked for the agency.
