Dog Dies in Hot Car While Owner Visits Casino: Police

A dog has died after being left in a hot car while its owner allegedly visited a Rhode Island casino, according to local law enforcement.

Lincoln Police Department (LPD) officers were alerted by security at Bally's Twin River Lincoln Casino after receiving reports that security found a vehicle with heavy condensation on the windows and the brake lights activated, NBC affiliate WJAR reported. After an officer managed to enter the car, police found the dog deceased on the floor on the driver's side at about 7 p.m. on Saturday.

LPD officers said the animal had been left unattended in the car for several hours without any air conditioning or water, according to WJAR.

Lincoln Police Captain Kyle Wingate told local news station ABC6 that the car's owner, Young Ju Seol of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, was arrested and charged with one count of malicious injury or killing of animals and one count of animal confinement in motor vehicles. Wingate added that Seol had been inside the casino for several hours and that temperatures were near 80 degrees.

Newsweek has contacted the LPD's Animal Control division for comment via email.

In Rhode Island, anyone found guilty of animal confinement in motor vehicles can face a jail term of up to one year, a fine of no more than $1,000, or both. The state's law also says that anyone found guilty of malicious injury to or killing of animals can be jailed for up to two years, or fined up to $1,000, or both.

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), people should not keep their dogs in a hot car since temperatures can rise to "dangerous levels " in just minutes and can put them at risk of heat stroke.

"It doesn't have to be super hot outside for your car to heat up. The inside of a vehicle parked in 70-degree Fahrenheit weather can reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit in just 20 minutes. On very hot days, temperatures inside parked cars can climb to 140 degrees Fahrenheit in less than one hour," the AKC writes on its website.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), a dog can become seriously ill and even die very quickly inside a hot car and that "cracking the windows makes no difference."

However, there are steps people can take to make sure their dogs remain healthy while on the road, according to the AKC, which include:

• Make plans to travel with another adult.
• Make sure one of you stays in the vehicle with the dog while the air conditioner is running.
• Be aware if your dog is a breed that may be more sensitive to high heat and humidity, such as pugs or bulldogs.