Texas Puppy Recovering After Rescue from Hot Car, Owner Arrested

A Texas pup is recovering today after being left inside the sweltering heat of a car. The dog’s owner finds himself in legal trouble and may lose his rights to the dog.

Witnesses discovered Anabella, a 10-week-old German Shepherd-Husky mix, locked inside a car in Manor, Texas, where temperatures reached a heat-indexed 109 degrees, CBSDFW reported. Manor is located just east of the state’s capital city, Austin.

After freeing the puppy, officials transported her to a local veterinarian, Dr. Katharine Lund, at the Austin Animal Center.

Lund told reporters the puppy was near death when she received it. However, after receiving treatment, little Annabella is showing signs of a “miraculous recovery,” the Dallas CBS affiliate reported. She said that when a dog gets heat stroke, it is very difficult to get them back.

Police arrested Annabella’s owner. Police identified the man as 20-year-old Chandler Allen Bullen. KVUE reported Bullen told police he left the puppy in the car without the engine running because he didn’t “want to waste gas.” He faces charges of cruelty to a non-livestock animal.

“When we find these animals in the car, they are either on the ground or on the floor board, at the lowest point of the car because obviously heat rises,” Austin Police Animal Cruelty Officer Alan Schwettmann told the reporter. “I’m not sure what people are thinking –maybe they’re thinking they’re going into a location and just going to be there for a minute.”

As for Annabelle, “She’s running around the exam room, wagging her tail — she ate all of her food.” Dr. Lund told the Austin ABC affiliate. “She’s very healthy. She’s very lucky.”