Cobb County

23 dogs have been left in hot Cobb County cars -- and it’s not even summer yet

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Cobb County police say two dogs are recovering after their owner left them inside a hot car while he was at Six Flags Over Georgia.

The owner, John English, was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals.

Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell got officers to show her how they jumped in to rescue the dogs.

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“We start with the physical exam first,” Dr. Vivian Wen, the Vernon Woods Animal Hospital Medical Director, told Newell. “We do always take a temperature in dogs.”

Wen showed Channel 2 Action News the steps her team takes to respond to “easily prevented” emergencies like dogs in hot cars.

“In the summers in Georgia, we do see heat stroke patients,” Wen said. “It is usually the dogs.”

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So far this year, there have been 23 incidents where dogs were left in hot cars in Cobb County.

In nearby Cherokee Couty, there have been 15 incidents since April.

“Oftentimes, they are just left in the car for a few minutes, and it can get very hot,” Wen explained to Channel 2 Action News.

English is accused of leaving his two dogs in a hot car for more than two hours while he was at Six Flags.

He faces charges of cruelty to animals, even though his dogs survived.

In Cherokee County, four people recently got citations for leaving their dogs in hot cars.

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“We’ll see dogs after the fact. We’ll get their temperatures down. We get them hydrated,” Wen told Newell. “And they have bleeding disorders because their platelets literally got cooked.”

Wen says to never leave a dog in a hot car, but if you absolutely have to, someone should stay in the car with the dog.

“The air condition needs to be on and preferably you’ve got one of those shades that covers the front windshield in the back to prevent the sun from coming in,” Wen said.

Earlier this week, Cobb County police lost one of their own K9s after the patrol car’s air conditioner malfunctioned.

The department said the handler was participating in an active shooter training session and had checked on the K9, Chase, every hour.

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