Death Of Dog In Trussville Parking Lot Prompts Action From PETA

TRUSSVILLE, AL - In response to the death of a dog who was left in a hot car earlier this month in a Trussville Walmart parking lot, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals activist group sent a letter Monday calling on the company's CEO, Doug McMillon, to require all Walmart stores to install signs in their parking lots reminding customers of the danger of leaving an animal or a child in a hot car.

The incident in question, which occurred on July 4, involved a woman who left her dog in her car in the parking lot for nearly seven hours. A Trussville police officer was called around 11 a.m. by someone who saw the dog in the car, and the officer had the store page the name of the car owner over the loud speaker, but no one responded.

A supervisor knocked the car window out in an effort to save the dog, but those efforts failed and the dog died. The dog's owner, Stephanie Shae Thomas, 34, of Trussville has been charged with a felony warrant for aggravated cruelty to animals.

Related story: Woman Who Left Dog To Die In Hot Car Charged With Felony

In the letter, PETA points out that there have been multiple child and dog deaths in Walmart parking lots in recent years. So far this summer, at least 39 animals and 29 children across the country have died as a result of being trapped in hot cars. And these are just the incidents that have been reported.

"As the Trussville community recently saw firsthand, a parked car can be a death trap for dogs or children who can't escape as temperatures soar and their bodies shut down," says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. "PETA is urging Walmart to help prevent future tragedies by reminding customers never to leave vulnerable family members in the car."

In her letter to McMillon, Newkirk says, "These deaths are heartbreaking, and we can help prevent more of them. Because such fatalities can and have occurred in Walmart parking lots, will you please act to ensure that signage is posted at all your stores to remind customers of the danger of leaving babies and animal companions in hot cars?"

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Photo via Jefferson County Jail