HOUSTON – Rescue teams were called to a Houston area apartment complex earlier this week after reports that a dog had been left in the heat with no water.
The Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), told KHOU that police were called after a neighbor spotted the dog in distress on a second-floor balcony of a complex in the 900 block of Cypress Station Drive.
“When they got on the patio, it looked like the dog had expired. As they investigated, the dog lifted its head and gasped and they realized it was alive,” Chief Animal Cruelty Investigator Jay Chase told KHOU. “It was past cutting it close.”
According to Harris County deputies, the dog’s owner was out of town when the dog was rescued.
Teams were able to get a warrant to remove the dog before taking it to the Houston SPCA where the dog was given veterinary care. The dog is expected to survive.
Fines for animal cruelty in Texas can be as high as $10,000. Anyone found guilty of animal cruelty could also be sentenced to up to two years in prison.
Charges for the dog’s owner are still pending.
A hearing will be held in 10 days to determine who keeps the dog, according to KHOU.