Kansas City Police Officer Jeff O’Rear and his partner Erik Winter received a call about a dog locked in a hot car at a local shopping center.
When they arrived, they found a small, 5 month old Chihuahua mix, who was near death and convulsing from the heat.
The officers quickly broke a car window to rescue the pup and then rushed him to a pet store located in the same shopping center. There, they discovered that his temperature was 107 degrees.
Officer O’Rear, almost in tears, told the Kansas City Star:
“He was just so close to death at that time, it was a very horrific picture. That was so emotional to see that dog; to see that somebody would do that to him for no reason; just neglect.”
The dog had been in the hot car for two hours, while temperatures outside climbed to 110 degrees.
Once the pup was in a cooler environment, his temperature quickly fell to 94 degrees, causing him to go into shock.
Thankfully, the dog made it through the night and is now back to his normal, exuberant, self.
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Even better, O’Rear knew the moment he held the nearly dead pup in his arms for the first time, that the dog belonged with his family. He vowed to bring him home if he survived.
O’Rear said:
“We want to make sure he lives the life of a king for the rest of his life. Because of what he went through. I think we’ll be able to provide that real well.”
The Chihuahua mix is now spending his days playing with O’Rear’s daughters and enjoying life as a beloved family dog. The family plans on renaming the pooch, but have yet to decide on one.
The dog’s former owners are being brought up on charges.
Watch a local news story about the life-saving rescue below:
You can watch one of O’Rear’s daughters talk about her new best friend at The Kansas City Star’s website.
