Crime & Safety

Dog Dies Minutes After Rescue From Hot Vehicle in Belmont

The dog's owner was found sleeping in a nearby motel and was arrested on animal cruelty charges, according to police.

A homeless man from the Belmont area was locked up in the county jail Monday, suspected of animal cruelty.

According to Belmont Police Captain Patrick Halleran, the agency got a call regarding an animal in distress around 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot of a motel in the 1100 block of Shoreway Rd. 

"Upon arrival, officers found an unresponsive 8 year-old German Shepherd named 'Elisha' in distress, inside the cab of a black 2011 Toyota pick-up truck," Halleran said in a news release.  "The dog had been left in the truck with the windows rolled up and without water."

Police called out San Mateo County Animal Rescue & Control, who helped get the dog out of the truck to seek medical treatment. 

"In spite of their efforts, Elisha died en route to an veterinary emergency clinic," Halleran said.

Elisha's owner, identified as 50-year-old Joseph Regis Jr., was found sleeping in the motel, and told officers he had last checked on the pooch at 3 a.m. "...and he was fine."  The man was arrested and taken to jail on suspicion of felony animal cruelty, Halleran said.

With the news of the dog's death, the police captain shared an important reminder:

"The Belmont Police and the Peninsula Humane Society would like to stress to the public that when it's 80 degrees outside, a car can heat up to over 120 degrees in just minutes," he said.  "As happened today, in a temperature that high, a dog could easily die.  As we enter the summer months, dog owners are reminded that they should never leave their dog alone in a car during warm weather."
 
 



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