A 33-year-old Gilbert woman accused of putting her Shih Tzu dog in the trunk when she drove it to the vet in 110-plus degree heat in August was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of animal cruelty charges.
Authorities said the woman, Katie Troung, was observed pulling the dog out of the trunk of her car when she took it to a pet groomer in Queen Creek last August.
The groomer, who described the dog as “soaking wet” and “very dehydrated,” was concerned about its condition and took it to a nearby veterinarian for evaluation. The dog was found to have a body temperature of 103 degrees, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. It also had distressed breathing and was suffering from heat stress, according to information from the MCSO.
It was not known how long the dog was in the trunk and whether placing it there was a common practice.
The dog is in the care of the Maricopa Animal Safe Haven (MASH) Unit for evidence and now is being cared for by jail inmates until Troung’s case is processed through the court.
qcmom70 posted at 5:07 pm on Tue, Jan 18, 2011.
Someone needs to put her in a trunk in the Arizona heat...! She deserves to sit in 'tent city' for a few days...
coyotes2882 posted at 5:48 pm on Tue, Jan 18, 2011.
sounds like she was pre-heating dinner
Carolyn posted at 6:09 pm on Tue, Jan 18, 2011.
Nasty b**ch! And I'm not talking about a "female dog," either.
cactusjumper posted at 7:15 pm on Tue, Jan 18, 2011.
Does Shih Tzu meat go well with bean sprouts soaked in soy sauce? That bottom feeding sewer spawn needs to be boxed up in the middle of July and kept on the desert floor for a few weeks.
divxivREDJEEP posted at 7:29 pm on Tue, Jan 18, 2011.
The normal body temperature for a dog falls within the range of 100.5°F to 102.5°F. Dogs do not sweat under their fur, so the groomer stating the dog was “soaking wet” and “very dehydrated,”
sounds suspicious.
Loretta posted at 8:30 pm on Tue, Jan 18, 2011.
110 degree weather would be hot for an animal regardless of where it was if it was not inside an AC;d building. Humans would have difficulty as well.
If it was that hot and you wanted to take your pet to the groomers and the car has been sitting in the sun, and you open the car door, it is going to be hot hot hot inside. You might think that putting it in the trunk was cooler than in the car. And it might be. But lack of ventilation may not be so good. It would be hot not matter where. But the trunk may have been cooler.
If it was that hot outside, you may be smarter not to take the animal anywhere, but leave it inside an AC'd building. We need to hear the owner's input of what the situation was. If the building was hot too and were thinking to groom it to help it be cooler with less hair maybe not such a bad thought. Best to get up early in the morning to take it in.
TimTamTom posted at 10:23 pm on Tue, Jan 18, 2011.
I wonder if she was that stupid or just didn't care. Who doesn't KNOW the trunk is not AC'd or vented? She's 33 and she should know better, an 8 year old knows better.
EmperorSmith posted at 5:22 pm on Wed, Jan 19, 2011.
I would locker her in a trunk or if could get away with feeding to local LARGE cats