52-year-old woman arrested, released, after dog found deceased in hot car

Here is another sad reminder of what the result can be when you leave a dog in a hot car.

According to police, on Sunday, the Portsmouth Police Department responded to a parking lot for a report of an unresponsive dog in a vehicle.

On scene investigation discovered the owner of the vehicle had left a dog, which was a Terrier mix, in a vehicle with the windows up for several hours. Upon the arrival of officers, the dog was found to be deceased. The outside temperature was in the mid 70’s with the internal temperature of the vehicle recorded at 125 degrees. Officers found a small bowl of food and a very small amount of water on the rear passenger seat. The dog was brought to a local veterinary hospital for a necropsy.

The owner, 52-year-old Susan Weilbrenner, was arrested on scene for Animals in Motor Vehicles and Cruelty to Animals, both misdemeanor charges. She was bailed on personal recognizance and provided a court date of July 17, 2023.

The Portsmouth Police Department would like to remind everyone that it is dangerous to leave your pet in a closed vehicle even for a short period of time. It only takes 20 minutes for the interior of the vehicle to reach over 100 degrees on a 70-degree day.