A Boothbay Harbor man is facing an animal cruelty charge after allegedly leaving his dog in a hot vehicle while he attended a concert on Thursday in Mansfield, Massachusetts, according to police.
Edwin F. Harrington, 60, had been attending the Vans Warped Tour show at the Xfinity Center when police were dispatched to a parking lot for a report of a dog locked in a vehicle, according to Mansfield police Lt. Sam Thompson.
Thompson said police were called to the facility around 2:30 p.m.
Officers located the vehicle in an open gravel lot on the facility’s north side which is exposed to complete sunlight during daytime hours, according to Thompson.
The dog, a male Boston terrier/bulldog mix, was found in the back seat of Harrington’s Buick with untinted windows rolled down about 3 inches, Thompson said.
The dog, Tuffy, was half inside and half outside of a crate in the vehicle, the lieutenant said.
Police were able to unlock the car and Tuffy subsequently collapsed out of the vehicle and was unable to move his rear legs, Thompson said.
According to witnesses, Harrington was not aware the dog was inside the vehicle and had last been seen at the vehicle at 10:45 a.m. Temperatures on Thursday climbed to 85 degrees.
According to a San Francisco State University study, temperatures inside a vehicle can reach over 130 degrees after an hour when outside temperatures reach 85, Thompson said.
Harrington was taken into custody upon returning to his vehicle, Thompson said.
Tuffy was suffering from heatstroke and shock and was transported to a veterinary facility in nearby Walpole, Thompson said. No information on his condition was available Friday.
Harrington’s bail was set at $1,000.
