QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) — A man is facing charges after leaving his two dogs in his hot car while he was at work at an Arizona gym last week, according to officials.
Both dogs died.
Police were called to the EOS Fitness in Queen Creek around 4 p.m. last Friday.
According to court documents, the gym’s manager told authorities the two dogs were dead after the employee, identified as Abraham Delarosa, left them in his car for six hours.
The manager said she held a staff meeting at 9 a.m. that Delarosa attended.
The court documents said the meeting ended six hours later when other staff members told the manager Delarosa was in the parking lot performing CPR on his dogs.
Delarosa claimed he had left the vehicle running and “someone must have turned the car off,” according to court documents.
He then took the dogs to a vet clinic that shared the parking lot with the gym.
Vet staff said the dogs were stiff and their lips were blue, according to officials.
The staff tried to take the dogs’ temperatures, but the thermometer only read “high.”
Staff noted to police that the highest temperature the thermometer could have read was 107.6 degrees.
Delarosa did not provide a statement to police at the time of his arrest. However, during his first court appearance, he went back and forth with a judge for more than three minutes after being told to stay away from all animals, saying his animals were murdered.
“I did not kill them. I had all the essentials that they needed. I had water and A/C blowing for them,” he said.
Delarosa was booked on one count of animal cruelty.
An autopsy will be performed on the dogs to determine their cause of death.
Authorities have advice for anyone who may encounter a dog locked in a car on a hot day.
Under Arizona’s Good Samaritan law, someone can take action to help a dog in distress if all of these terms apply:
- You have good faith that the animal is in imminent danger
- You have determined the car is locked and there is no other way to get to the animal
- You call 911 before entering the car
- You don’t use more force than necessary
- You stay with the animal until first responders arrive
If someone fails to follow those requirements, they could face civil liability.
The Arizona Humane Society (AHS) said it responds to thousands of calls each year, many in the summer, involving pets left without water or shelter or in hot cars.
Humane Society spokesperson Kelsey Dickerson says in these cases, animals are taken into their custody for care, and then it’s essentially up to a judge to decide if the dog is safe being back with its owner.
“When it comes to this heat, it can be deadly in a matter of minutes, so every second really matters,” Dickerson said. “Never leave your pet in a hot car. We recommend just leaving them at home, making sure that you’re bringing them indoors and that they have plenty of access to shade and water, both inside and outside. Of course, checking the asphalt temperature, you know it can it can get upwards of 170-180 degrees which will burn flesh in a matter of seconds.”
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