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Video shows police smash window of hot car with dog left inside

Clearwater Police rescue dog
Posted at 4:21 PM, May 23, 2024

CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — Police rescued a dog that was left in a hot car in a parking lot near Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach.

Clearwater Police received a call on May 21 at around 4:45 p.m. about a dog left in a car at 160 Gulfview Boulevard in Clearwater Beach.

Police say when they arrived in the parking lot, they saw a car with a window cracked 2-3 inches and a "pit bull" inside. The dog was stressed and panting, according to police.

The dog did not have an adequate amount of water and the temperature outside was around 90 degrees.

A video shows police smashing a window to get the dog out of the car and gave it water.

The owner, Marie Rutherford, 40, from Nashville, Tennessee, told police that she left the dog in the car while at the beach and assumed it would be fine because she had left some water.

Last month, weintroduced you to Jimmy Klass, a Floridian who learned he was not a U.S. citizen after living here for 64 years. ABC Action News reporter Katie LaGrone is following through with updates to his story, while also sharing the story of another Floridian who learned she was not a U.S. citizen after 60 years in the U.S.

After nearly 60 years, another Floridian learns she’s not a legal citizen