A man who allegedly locked a poodle in the trunk of his car while he went shopping in Fontana was facing felony animal cruelty charges on Wednesday, police said.
A witness alerted police when he allegedly saw Jose DeJesus Gonzalez put the poodle in the trunk of his Toyota Camry and go into a grocery store in the 8200 block of Sierra Avenue (map) at about 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday, a news release from the Fontana Police Department stated.
Officers immediately responded and found the owner in time to rescue the 6-year-old poodle named Max from the trunk, according to the Police Department.
Supervising Animal Services Officer Jaime Simmons registered the temperature inside the trunk at 141 degrees.
Max showed signs of heat exhaustion and had a temperature of 105.1 degrees, about 5 degrees higher than normal for a dog, according to the news release.
Simmons administered emergency heatstroke triage to save Max’s life, police stated.
Max was taken to General Dog and Cat Hospital in San Bernardino where he was expected to make a full recovery.
Gonzalez was arrested and faces a charge for felony animal cruelty, according to the Police Department.
“As a reminder especially during the summer months, it is illegal to leave animals unattended in a motor vehicle,” Simmons said. “Even on a 70 degree day inside a vehicle can reach temperatures 20 to 30 degrees warmer causing potential life-threatening conditions.”
See video of Max the poodle recovering at the animal hospital below: