Two cited after Merced police find dog in hot car

Police in Merced cited two women for animal cruelty after officers came upon a dog left in a car on a 100-degree day, authorities said.

According to police, officers were called to the Walmart on Loughborough Drive at 1:09 p.m. Sunday on a report of a dog left in a vehicle. When they arrived, police found a dog left in a car with the windows rolled down about three inches.

“The exterior temperature at the time was 100 degrees,” police said in the release. “The interior temperature of the vehicle was much higher.”

As officers prepared to break the window, the owners of the vehicle, later identified as Rosie Bernardino, 20, and Maria Contreras, 18, both of Merced, came out of the store. The women said they had only left the dog briefly to go and get a drink. Both were arrested on a charge of animal cruelty, cited and released at the scene.

“With temperatures breaking 100 degrees, remember, do not leave pets inside your vehicle,” police said. “Temperatures can reach 160 plus degrees inside a vehicle.”

Investigators ask anyone with more information on the incident to call Sgt. Jay Struble at 209-385-4739 or the Merced Police Department Tipster Line at 209-385-4725.

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Two cited after Merced police find dog in hot car."