Police: Lexington man charged with animal cruelty after he leaves dog in sun
LEXINGTON, Tenn. — A dog left in the sun outside a home lands one of the homeowners in jail, according to the Lexington Police Department. Neighbor Sakeisha Jarrett said she noticed the dog did not look well. “(He) looked frail, like damaged, tied up on a tree. No shelter or nothing like that,” Jarrett said. Police arrested Bobby Dillon Fowler on Thursday on a charge of cruelty to animals. Jarrett said she does not think it was intentional. “He’s a friendly dude. He just got a lot of dogs, that’s what it is,” Jarrett said. A woman at the home said they have inside dogs, and a dog was visible in the yard on Thursday. Former animal control officer Jeanee Moore said when a dog is left in the heat, it can die in only a couple of hours. “When it’s 100 degrees, go out and make sure they’ve got plenty of water a couple times a day, because they can die of heat stress,” Moore said. Moore said pay attention to where your animal and their water sits. “People will stake a dog out in the sun and think a plastic dog house will keep them cool. That’s nothing but a microwave oven,” Moore said. In Fowler’s case, police said he left the dog out in a small cage, lying in its own feces with no shade. “They gotta have shelter. They’re just like us! They’re animals like us. They need food and water. If you can’t take care of them, don’t have them,” Jarrett said. Moore said dogs need water in the winter just as much as they do in the summer.
