Woman charged with animal cruelty in Wauwatosa for leaving dog in hot car

An unidentified woman has been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly leaving her Doberman in the car for almost three hours in 88-degree weather while parked at Mayfair North Tower, 2600 N. Mayfair Road, on Tuesday, July 22.

Wauwatosa police observed the dog in distress around 5 p.m. on Tuesday after an anonymous witness called to report the incident. The dog was seen panting heavily and had defecated all over the car, the police report said.

In 90 degree heat, a car's internal temperature can reach 133 degrees after one hour, according to The Weather Channel's website.

The dog's owner, whose name was not be released because of the police department's redacting policy, returned to the car at 5:30 p.m. By that time, the police had already unlocked the car, removed the Doberman and placed him in a shaded area with water.

The woman said she had arrived at Mayfair North Tower at 2:45 p.m. for a work meeting she had at 3 p.m. with a potential client. The report said she had expected the meeting to last 10 minutes, which is why she parked in the "15-minute" parking space.

The owner said she knew her dog was in the car but didn't realize how hot it was outside. All four windows had been cracked 2 to 3 inches. There was reportedly no water in the car. The woman had brought her dog along in the car because "she was having work done at the house she is renting and she didn't have a crate to put him in," according to the report.

The woman said she had thought about checking her dog, but was afraid she would lose business if she left her work meeting early. The woman attributed the dog's defecation to her recently changing his food, the report said.

The Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission) kept the Doberman for overnight observation and a medical exam, setting conditions for the woman to pick it up the next day.

The owner is scheduled for court Monday, Aug. 25. Bond is set at $691.