WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) — Charges will be filed against the owner of a dog that died in a hot car Monday. Wausau Police Department Lieutenant Dwayne Dachel says the incident at Lot F of Aspirus Wausau Hospital could have been prevented, and they have sent a recommendation to the Marathon County District Attorney for charges. “The suspect in the case is being charged with a felony, mistreatment of animals. His name is Michael Mosier. He’s a 67-year-old male from the upper peninsula of Michigan.”
Police got the call at 1:47 p.m. Mosier says he was checking on the 3-year-old English Setter hunting dog regularly, but Lieutenant Dachel says parking lot surveillance video from the hospital shows the dog was alone for about 2 hours 10 minutes before they arrived, and couldn’t get fresh air or water. “There was water in the car, but the dog did not have access to that, and the windows were all rolled up and the doors were locked.”
Police Lieutenant Michael Yuedes was also at the scene, and says the hot sun on car windows can make the inside dangerous for pets and children rapidly. “When we took the temperature outside it was 78 degrees, but in the car, it was at least 121 degrees, so even though it seems like it’s okay outside, when you close the glass, it turns the heat up quite a bit.”
A local veterinarian confirmed that the cause of the dog’s death was heat stroke.
