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Woman arrested after leaving dog in car and going to work, deputies say

A woman was arrested after she left her dog in the car and went to work.
Credit: Richland County Police Department
Tremaina Davis mugshot.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A woman was arrested after deputies say she left an animal locked in a kennel inside a vehicle. 

Tremainia Jalee Davis, 26, was arrested on July 3 on charges of ill treatment towards animals. 

According to deputies, Richland County Animal Control called them over a dead dog inside a car on the 1800 block of Longcreek Drive around 1 p.m. on June 21. They found a small, light brown dog that appeared dead. The dog was inside a wire kennel locked inside a silver vehicle parked in direct sunlight with windows slightly cracked. The dog had no food or water, and the temperature at the time was 97 degrees.

An investigator reached Davis by phone, who explained that she was staying with someone who did not want the pup — a 2-year-old Chihuahua mix that she identified as “Juju,” in the house. She said she had locked Juju in the vehicle around 9 a.m., before she went to work at an area retailer. By the time deputies were called, it was 1 p.m.

The investigator reached out to a veterinarian, who said that considering the size of Juju and the heat, the temperature in the vehicle likely killed the dog in as little as an hour.

Sheriff Lott urges pet owners to never leave pets locked in a vehicle — especially in the heat of the summer. If someone spots a pet trapped in a sweltering vehicle, call 911.

Davis is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

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