North Carolina police threatened to arrest an animal lover who saved a dog from the sweltering heat because she opened the owner’s unlocked car.
Suzanne Vella, 36, spotted the pup inside a parked vehicle outside a Wendy’s restaurant on June 7, reported Fox 8.
‘I approached the vehicle to check to see if the vehicle was on if there was AC on — there was not,’ she told WCNC.
‘I didn’t want to wait any longer and ended up pulling open the door handle. It was actually unlocked, and I called 911.’
The Cornelius Police Department state that they received the call at 2.18pm, and the officer, identified as Corporal Robert Russell, arrived at 2.26pm.
Vella told the officer she had observed the dog panting inside the car for 10 minutes, so she decided to intervene.
Temperatures reached 91 degrees Fahrenheit by 3pm that afternoon, making it the first 90-degree day of the season.
Video taken by Vella showed the dog – that has a white fur coat and black spots – lapping up the water she offered it.
Russell claimed that because he did not witness the dog alone in the car, he could not arrest its owner.
North Carolina state law requires an officer to witness the crime to make an on-site arrest for animal cruelty.
However, Vella said Russell did ask the dog owner if he wanted to press charges against her for entering his vehicle.
Vella recorded her interaction with Russell, where he insisted she had no right to give the dog water.
‘What right do you think you had to open someone’s door?’ Russell asked Vella.
‘If there’s a dog on a 90-degree day locked in the car panting, I’m going to give it water,’ she replied.
‘I don’t understand what you don’t understand about this… just because you see a dog panting doesn’t mean he’s in distress,’ Russell said.
‘It’s 90 degrees. I think a lot of people would disagree with you, too,’ Vella said.
Vella said she was stunned by the officer’s reaction and disappointed he was more upset with her than the dog owner.
‘You know, it was really upsetting,’ she said. ‘The police officer got all of my information and gave me a lecture about it but said virtually nothing to the owner.
‘[Russell] was very visibly angry at me and was yelling at me, saying I had no right to open somebody else’s car door.
The Cornelius Police Department faced harsh backlash online, especially considering Russell’s status as a K9 handler, and stated that they would be investigating both the dog owner and the officer.
‘We are conducting an investigation into the owner of the dog for the claim of animal cruelty. An internal investigation into our officer’s actions is underway,’ Deputy Chief Jennifer Thompson said.
‘We are also reinforcing our training procedures to ensure that all personnel respond professionally, respectfully, and with empathy in every situation.’
Vella hopes the department’s investigation will lead to consequences for both Russell and the dog owner.
‘I never thought in a million years this would have been the direction that it went,’ she said. ‘This isn’t about attention, it’s about accountability.
‘I’m hoping that that investigation kind of leads to some type of reprimanding, or potentially even finding a new and more loving home for the dog.’