Our Houston injury lawyers are gong to write about something here that’s a bit off topic for us. But we just wanted to mention the incident as a cautionary tale in hopes that others might not lose their lives so needlessly.
Our Houston injury lawyers were horrified to learn about the needless deaths of two K-9 dogs in Bexar County overnight on Thursday. The two dogs apparently died from heat stress after being left overnight in a patrol car by K-9 Deputy Steve Benoy, who’s been placed on administrative leave while the Department investigates. (Source: Brian New, Kens5.com, July 27, 2012)
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) says that Benoy is a 23-year veteran who’s been with the Sheriff’s Office unit for 13 of those years. However fine Benoy’s service may have been in the past, it just seems inexcusable what he did to those dogs. That’s basically like leaving fellow employees marooned inside a hot car with no escape. How could someone entrusted with the care of these dogs so negligently leave them to die?
K-9s are expensive to train. They cost quite a lot. But once trained, they are loyal and dedicated workers who demand far fewer perks than human BCSO employees. One thing they would ask is to be released from their patrol vehicles on hot July days after a long day of service.
Doesn’t the BCSO have someone charged with checking to see that all K-9s have been properly returned to their kennels after work? Maybe it should have someone to check on these dogs and their handlers. This was just a senseless loss. It’s appalling to think of those poor, loyal dogs quietly expiring overnight from the heat.
And it’s not just dogs. This week in Dallas, the news has been filled with the horrific story of a small boy carelessly left in a day care van to expire from the heat. That these helpless victims are left in vehicles without recourse to bake alive in the excruciating Texas heat is a nightmare. And it must stop.
Whether the victims are small children or K-9s, entities charged with the care of those who can’t help or speak for themselves need to have someone in charge of ensuring the safety of their charges. Our Houston injury lawyers call on everyone to take a role in ensuring others’ safety.
If you see a child, an elderly person, or an animal left inside a vehicle in the Texas summer, don’t just hope that all will be well. Take the step of notifying someone or calling the police to come unlock the car and save the life inside before it’s too late. It takes very little time for the vulnerable to overheat and die in closed vehicles in the current Texas temperatures. Take a look at the linked article by our Houston injury lawyers on what heat can do just to your tires, and imagine what it can do to the body of a helpless child or dog.