OMAHA, NE (KETV/CNN) – Nebraska Humane Society officials say the owners of a German shepherd, who reportedly left the dog in the back of their SUV while dining at a restaurant, won’t be cited because they took some precaution against the heat.
A customer ran back into DJ’s Dugout in Omaha, NE, after spending nearly three hours inside the restaurant on Sunday afternoon.
"Just yelling that he needed ice and water as quick as possible because he had left his dog in his car,” said DJ’s Dugout server, Allie McLendon.
McLendon said she started CPR on the female German Shepherd because the owners were in distress.
"I heard them saying that they came out to check on the dog before they were getting ready to leave and that she was soaking wet in her kennel, so they pulled her out and she wasn't breathing,” McLendon said.
Omaha Police and the NHS confirmed the dog’s death.
Officials with the NHS said the owners made a bad decision to leave the dog in the parking lot, but they did take some precaution, such as leaving on the air conditioner.
"Their intent was not to kill the dog or their intent was not to put the dog in a harmful situation, and she [the officer] felt as if a citation would have just compounded the problems for these people,” said NHS official Mark Langan.
Photos of the incident have been shared hundreds of times on social media, demanding punishment for the out-of-town owners.
"They should have at least gotten a fine. They really should have,” said DJ’s Dugout server, Evelyn Birkel.
Birkel served the dog’s owners and said they were friendly and weren’t intoxicated. However, she said she wished they would have mentioned they had a dog with them.
"That's why we have a pet-friendly patio – to avoid situations like this,” Birkel said.
NHS officials stressed that pet owners should never leave their pets in a car, even if the AC is on.
Copyright 2018 KETV, DJ’s Dugout, David Horn via CNN. All rights reserved.
