Flint Woman Charged After Leaving Dog in a Freezing Car Overnight

This is one of those stories that just makes you shake your head and go, “Come on, man.”

A Flint woman is facing charges in New York, strangely enough, after police say she left her dog in a car overnight while it was freezing out. Not running into a store for a few minutes. Overnight.

Dog Found in Unheated Car During Freezing Temperatures

According to MSN, New York State Police were called to a parking lot in Queensbury early New Year’s morning after someone spotted a dog sitting inside an unheated vehicle. When officers arrived around 7:40 a.m., temperatures were already below freezing. Not exactly ideal conditions for, you know, a living animal.

Apparently, the dog had been left there for hours. Eventually, police tracked down the owner, 28-year-old Arianna Harvey from Flint, and charged her under a New York law that specifically deals with leaving animals in vehicles during extreme temperatures.

Here’s the small silver lining. The dog was okay. Not hurt. And he was returned to Harvey. Still, this whole thing could have gone sideways fast, and that’s hard to ignore.

Now, I’m not defending her actions, but at least the dog was left inside a vehicle and not outside tied to a tree or something. Unfortunately, we’ve seen that happen more than once.

See Also: Dog Found Frozen to Death Outside Michigan Home

Why Leaving a Dog in a Cold Car Can Turn Dangerous Fast

We all live in Michigan, so we know how fast cold weather can turn dangerous, especially overnight. Cars don’t magically stay warm once the engine is off. Temperatures drop, and animals don’t have the option to hop in the driver’s seat and turn the heat back on.

Harvey was released and given a ticket to appear in Queensbury Town Court next week.

No preaching here, just a reminder. If it’s too cold for you to sit in your car overnight, it’s too cold for your dog.