Las Vegas Man Nabs PETA Award for Saving Dog From Hot Car
Charles Huggins Smashes Window to Free Panting Pup From Sealed-Up Vehicle in 90-Degree Heat
For Immediate Release:
June 18, 2018
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
A Compassionate Action Award is on its way from PETA to Las Vegas local Charles Huggins for rescuing a dog from a parked car in 90-degree heat. Huggins—a guardian of two dogs himself—was leaving the gym near Maryland Parkway and E. Karen Avenue on May 30 when he noticed an English bulldog panting inside a locked SUV with the windows rolled up. After calling authorities twice and searching for the dog’s owner in the gym, he saw the animal lie down on his side in distress—and he knew it was time to act. He used a piece of asphalt to smash the vehicle’s back window and save the dog, immediately giving the frightened animal water and calming him down. The dog’s owner appeared soon after and managed to flee the scene with him before authorities arrived. PETA is following up with law-enforcement. About the rescue, Huggins says, “I just did what I thought was the right thing to do.“
“Charles Huggins acted responsibly and compassionately to save a dog from baking to death inside a parked car,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA hopes this story will inspire people everywhere to do whatever it takes to keep dogs from experiencing agonizing, preventable deaths in sweltering cars this summer.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—reminds all dog guardians never to leave any animal inside a parked car. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to between 100 and 120 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes. At least 16 dogs have died already this year after being left in hot cars.
Huggins will receive a framed certificate, PETA’s “Too Hot for Spot: Dogs Die in Hot Cars” sunshade and emergency hammer—which is equipped with a seat-belt cutter and specifically designed for breaking windows—and a box of delicious vegan cookies.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
