Tragedy struck in Queen Creek, Arizona, after police say a man left his two dogs in a hot car for six hours, leading to their deaths. The incident occurred outside EOS Fitness near Signal Butte and Queen Creek roads on June 13, sparking outrage and renewed concerns over animal safety in extreme heat.
According to court documents, gym employees first became aware something was wrong around 3 p.m., when staff members saw fellow employee Abraham Delarosa in the parking lot attempting CPR on two unresponsive dogs. Witnesses said the animals appeared stiff, a sign of advanced heat-related distress.
Earlier that morning, Delarosa had attended a staff meeting that began at 9 a.m. and lasted six hours. When the meeting ended, coworkers rushed outside after being alerted to the situation. By then, it was too late.
Delarosa claimed he had left his vehicle running to keep the air conditioning on and believed someone must have turned it off. He reportedly transported the dogs to a veterinary clinic located in the same parking lot.
Veterinary staff later told police that both dogs were stiff, with blue lips—an indication of severe oxygen deprivation. When attempting to measure their body temperature, the clinic’s thermometer only displayed the word “high.” The highest temperature it could detect was 107.6 degrees.
Police did not receive a statement from Delarosa. He was later booked on one count of animal cruelty. The Maricopa County Animal Control agency is now conducting autopsies on both dogs to determine the exact cause of death.
As summer temperatures rise across the country, the case serves as a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly pets can suffer and die in hot vehicles. Even with windows cracked or engines running, conditions inside a car can reach fatal temperatures in minutes. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, hundreds of pets die each year from heat exhaustion, many of them left in parked cars.
Animal advocates are urging pet owners to take extreme caution. “If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for them,” one rescuer emphasized.
This incident is still under investigation, and public reaction has been swift, with many calling for harsher penalties in cases of preventable heat-related animal deaths.
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This content was created with AI assistance and edited by the iHeartDogs team.
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