A Las Vegas, Nevada, woman was arrested after her dog died while tied up outside during extreme heat, police said.
The female dog, named Abby, was left to the elements with empty food and water bowls as temperatures soared to 114 degrees, police said in the arrest report, adding that it appeared Abby had been outside for more than a day.
Deborah Hagen was detained and could be charged with felony animal cruelty after Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers responded to a call about a dead dog at a mobile home park on Walnut Road at around 5:30 p.m. July 21, according to an arrest report obtained by local news outlet KSNV.
Newsweek reached out via email on Tuesday to the LVMPD, but the department refused to comment, saying: "we will not be accommodating your request for an interview or statement." Newsweek submitted a public records request through the department's online portal to obtain the arrest report and Hagen's mugshot.
After arriving at the scene, police met with a Las Vegas Animal Protection Services officer who said the agency was contacted by concerned neighbors who reported that a dog was tied to the porch stairs without access to food, water or shade, according to KSNV, which cites the arrest report.
Newsweek reached out via email on Tuesday to Animal Protection Services for comment. It was unclear at the time of publication whether Hagen had an attorney representing her.
Hagen told an LVMPD officer that she put Abby outside at 5 p.m. July 20 so the dog could go to the bathroom, according to the arrest report. She told police that she left Abby outside "because it sometimes takes her a while to use the restroom." Hagen said that she went back inside and fell asleep, leaving the dog tied up outside, the report states, according to KSNV. Hagen told police that her roommate woke her at one point, but she was unsure how much time had passed or exactly how long Abby was outside.
One of Hagen's neighbors reportedly told police that they saw Abby on the ground outside on the morning of July 20, hours earlier than what Hagen told police, according to the arrest report, which states the witness said Abby appeared to be dead.
"When a witness observed Abby dead on [July 20] at approximately [8 a.m.], Debbie seemed confused and did not believe that could be possible or accurate," police wrote in the arrest report, according to KSNV.
LVMPD seized the dog's body and said in the arrest report that Abby appeared to have been dead for at least a day, citing organ failure as the suspected cause. Police noted in the arrest report that the temperature reached 114 degrees on Friday and said it is illegal to leave a dog tied up outside for any length of time during extreme weather conditions.
Hagen later told police that she often kept Abby outside because of the way her roommate treated the dog. She said that she was unaware there was an excessive heat warning in place when she tied Abby to the porch last week, according to the arrest report.
While Hagen told police that Abby had access to food, water and shade by going under the porch, police wrote in the report that the leash did not seem to be long enough to reach that area. The report also states that two empty bowls were visible.
Hagen has been released from police custody, according to Clark County court records, which state that she is barred from possessing or controlling animals as a condition of her release. At the time of publication, formal criminal charges had not been filed, but records show that Hagen's next court hearing is set for August 17.
