Dogs left unattended in hot cars prompt complaints

On August 5, a deputy was called to the Loganville Highway McDonalds after a passerby noticed a large Rottweiler in an unattended vehicle. The outside temperature at the time of the call was 94 degrees.

The window had been cracked approximately four inches, but the dog appeared to be in distress.

The deputy reached inside the car, unlocked the door and began to pet the dog. The deputy noticed the dog’s coat was wet to the touch.

The restaurant manager provided the deputy with two large glasses of water which the dog drank immediately.

Animal control also responded to the scene and determined the temperature inside the car was 117 degrees.

Deputies eventually located the owner at a mobile blood drive nearby.

The owner said he left the dog in the car while he and his girlfriend donated blood. The man said if he had left the window cracked any further, the dog might have escaped and he would have received a ticket for not having the animal on a leash.

Three days later, a deputy was dispatched to the Atlanta Highway Walmart in reference to a small dog locked in a vehicle.

Upon arrival, the deputy ran the tag and had the registered owner paged inside the store.

After 30 minutes, the owner’s mother came to the vehicle and removed the dog.

An animal control officer measured the interior temperature of the vehicle at 128 degrees. The dog’s owner received a warning from animal control.

Experts recommend not leaving pets in parked cars for even short periods if the temperature is above 60 degrees. Even with windows partially open, temperatures inside the vehicle may reach very high levels.

With recent temperatures in the 90s, pets may suffer from heat stroke in a matter of minutes. Signs of heat stroke in an animal include rapid panting, wide eyes, salivating, staggering and weakness.

Other recent incidents investigated by Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies include:

•abandoned vehicle on Atlanta Highway. A 1996 Buick Grand Port which had been left partially in the roadway was towed after the deputy tried unsuccessfully to reach the owner.

•burglary on Daley Avenue. A woman reported a December 2009 burglary in which three televisions and a DVD player were stolen. The woman said she had listed those items as collateral for a loan and needed to report the theft since the loan company had initiated court proceedings against her.

•terroristic threats on Highway 316. A woman said her father struck her twice in the face and threatened to put two bullets in her head as they were travelling on Hwy. 316.

•complaint on Dogwood Trail. Two women complained about four wheelers being driven on the street in their neighborhood. The four wheeler riders were advised to stay off the roadway.

•911 hang up on Hwy. 211. A two-year-old child dialed 911 while playing with the phone.

•criminal trespass on Hwy. 53. A man driving a Jeep was stopped after he was discovered trespassing on the property.

• complaint on Wages Road. A woman said a suspicious person had been driving a white Jeep up and down Wages Road. The woman said the man lived in a tent in the woods. When the deputy arrived, both the suspicious male and the Jeep were gone.

•theft by conversion on Doster Circle. A welder valued at $800 was reported stolen. The victim believes his grandson may have pawned the equipment.

•criminal trespass on Ode Peppers Road. A woman noticed two suspicious males at her neighbor’s house. When she confronted the two men, they got in their vehicle and left the property. The woman noticed several items in her neighbor’s garage and storage shed had been moved. The owner arrived home a short time later and determined that nothing had been stolen.

•theft on Gainesville Highway. A man said his clothes and phone were stolen after he was arrested. The man said someone then took his belongings to a Than Skinner Road location and burned them.

•entering auto on Loganville Highway. A man left his vehicle windows down while he went inside a store. When he returned, his wallet, phone and iPod had been stolen out of his vehicle.

•theft by taking on Business Center Drive. A Ford F150 was stolen while the owner was out of town on business.

•criminal trespass on Night Dream Lane. Three cars were egged, but the owner was able to wash the vehicles before any damage occurred.

•dispute on Tom Miller Road. A woman took a man’s rifle after he showed up at her house drunk. When the man returned at a later date to retrieve the firearm, she refused to give it to him. After a deputy explained that she was committing theft if she did not return the rifle, she relented and gave the man his weapon.

•theft by taking on Dee Kennedy Road. A chainsaw valued at $400 was reported stolen. The chain saw had been stored unsecured on the victim’s back porch.

•lost or mislaid property on Pleasant Hill Church Road. A woman left her wallet on top of an air conditioner service man’s vehicle. After the man drove away, she realized her wallet was missing.

•disorderly conduct on Atlanta Highway. A woman said another woman yelled at her inside Walmart and tried to provoke a fight.

•theft by taking on Carl Bethlehem Road. Copper wire valued at $1,000 was stolen out of a chicken house.

•theft of lost or mislaid property on Atlanta Highway. A man accidentally left his wallet at Walmart after paying for his groceries. When he returned, the wallet was gone.

•complaint on Windward Road. A woman said her neighbor referred to one of her guests as “trash.” The woman said she was tired of being harassed by her neighbor.

•harassing phone calls on Windward Road. A woman said she had received harassing texts and calls from a woman who resides in South Carolina. •complaint on Honeysuckle Trail. An 18-year-old male contacted the Sheriff’s Office because he did not like the fact that his mother’s boyfriend was staying at her residence. The teen was told to respect his mother’s decision.

•harassing phone calls on East Wright Street. A woman said she had received numerous calls from someone who referred to her daughter as a methamphetamine using prostitute who has sexual relations with relatives.

•neighborhood complaint on Madison Drive. A man complained about the fact that his neighbor was shooting a shotgun at a tree stump.

•suspicious incident on Carl Bethlehem Road. A man said he noticed his vehicle was being followed by an older model Ford Crown Victoria. The responding deputy did not locate the vehicle in the immediate area.

•burglary on Quail Trail Road. A vacant home was burglarized. The only items taken were coins valued at $12.50. A window was also broken.

•dispute on Argonne Road. A 19-year-old woman contacted the Sheriff’s Office after her mother threatened to kick her out of the house. The teen said she wanted to stay with her boyfriend and wished to know if it was against the law to do so. The deputy advised that she was of age and could stay where she pleased, but that her mother could also ask her to move out of her house.

•burglary on Raymond Drive. Four rings were reported stolen.

•theft by taking on Christmas Avenue. A man’s cell phone was stolen after he left it on the counter at a convenience store.

•financial identity fraud on Apalachee Ridge Road. A woman discovered someone had written a check on her account. The check, in the amount of $836.50, was tendered at a Walmart in Canton.

•burglary on St. Peters Court. A computer, 50 DVDs and jewelry were among the items reported stolen.

•harassing phone calls on Quail Trail Road. A woman said she has received several phone calls from an unidentified male asking if she was home alone.

•dog bite on Phillipsburg Drive. Two people were bitten by a pit bull as they were walking their dog through St. Martins subdivision.

•peeping tom on Victron Drive. A woman said someone has been prowling around her residence. The woman said the man has knocked on her windows and looked through the bathroom window while she was in the room.

•lost wallet on Otis Drive. A juvenile lost a black and white leather wallet. The wallet contained his driving permit and was valued at approximately $5.

•simple assault on Carl Bethlehem Road. A man became upset when he saw his soon-to-be ex-wife’s fiancé driving his car.

•criminal trespass on Cedar Creek Road. A logging chain used to secure the entrance to a piece of property was cut. There was no other damage reported.

•harassing phone calls on Moon Bridge Road. A woman said she and her daughter have been receiving harassing phone calls from another woman and that woman’s daughter.

•possible burglary on Dale Drive. A door was found standing open, but deputies were unable to determine if anything had been removed from the home due to the fact the homeowner was out of town.

•dispute on East Midland Road. A woman complained that a man who had been in the peanut selling business with her brother was drinking inside the stand which she owned. The woman said she told the man he was not allowed to drink in the peanut stand. The woman took the stand and drove it away after the man gathered his personal belongings which included a padlock, empty propane tank and a broom.

•criminal trespass on Langford Park Court. A woman called the Sheriff’s Office regarding several men trespassing through her yard.