US EditionWoman Saves Dog Left in Hot Car, but Responding Officer Says She Had ‘No Right’ to Do So
CORNELIUS, NORTH CAROLINA, JUN 7 – Cornelius Police Department opened investigations into the dog owner for animal cruelty and the officer for reprimanding the rescuer, after a woman helped a dog in a hot car on a 90-degree day.
- On June 7, Suzanne Vella in Cornelius, North Carolina, opened a hot car door to give water to a panting dog locked inside a 90-degree vehicle.
- Vella called 911 after failing to find the dog's owner and acted out of concern to prevent heat stroke, though police reprimanded her for entering the vehicle.
- A responding Cornelius police officer arrived at 2:26 p.m. and repeatedly asked the dog owner if they wanted to press charges, but the owner declined and left the scene.
- Neither Vella nor the dog's owner faced any charges, while police initiated probes into potential animal cruelty and the conduct of the responding officer. Additionally, the department announced it is enhancing training efforts to promote professional, respectful, and empathetic interactions.
- Vella justified her intervention by citing the dog’s suffering in extreme heat and expressed that the incident restored her faith in humanity amid widespread online attention.
16 Articles
16 Articles
A dog was stuck in a car that was very heated. The car was parked in front of the veterinary office, so the rescue for the animal was not far away.
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Woman saves dog left in hot car, but responding officer says she had ‘no right’ to do so
A woman in North Carolina said she helped a dog who was trapped inside a hot car on a 90-degree day, but a responding police officer told her she had “no right” to do so.
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A woman who saved a dog from a hot car in North Carolina is being applauded online—while the responding officer who scolded her is now under investigation.
Driver charged for opening car door to save a life - they broke little-known law
A WOMAN landed herself in deep water after opening a stranger’s car door in a bizarre little-known law. Suzanne Vella of Cornelius, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, was rightly concerned when she saw a dog panting inside a hot car parked in a shopping center parking lot. WBTVSuzanne Vella was left stunned when she unknowingly broke the law to help a dog trapped inside a hot car[/caption] WBTVVella filmed the moment she found the dog in a park…
Cornelius Police investigating woman reporting dog being left in pickup truck, confrontation with officer
CORNELIUS, NC (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- An incident is under investigation in Cornelius after a woman reportedly discovered a dog left alone in a parking lot, and broke into the vehicle to help. According to the Cornelius Police Department, officers responded on June 7 to a parking lot off West Catawba Avenue at 2:18 p.m. regarding a dog in a car. The officer arrived at 2:26 p.m. No Swim Advisory issued for algae bloom found in Lake Norman cov…
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