JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Abandoned and neglected, that's how a local woman found a dog baking in the sun Wednesday. She was outraged, because she feels like no creature should be left outside in this heat.
The woman found the dog tied to a tree in a commercial area at the intersection of Drake Street and Stuart Avenue on the Westside Wednesday afternoon, and according to people at businesses nearby, the dog had been there for almost two days.
April Lemmon-Bierley said she was in the area for work Wednesday when she heard a noise she wouldn't normally hear in an industrial area.
"I heard the dog barking and I looked over while another vehicle stopped for us and we noticed that this dog was absolutely baking in the sun with no water," Bierley said.
Having no food or water, Bierley desperately searched for the dog's owner at nearby businesses but no one seemed to know where the dog came from.
"I just can't imagine the audacity of somebody just wanting to end a creature's life that gave them love and affection," Bierley said.
Which is why Bierley and an employee at a nearby business called animal services and gave the dog food and water. As time passed, though, Bierley couldn't stomach the thought of the dog losing its life. So with the help or her husband and with a crate, she returned.
"I live on a farm and we have lots of dogs and cats out at our farm and I just couldn't bring myself to know that I'm going to go home and be in the air conditioning this evening and this poor dog's been out here for God knows how long with nobody to care for it," Bierley said.
And with Jacksonville's current run of very hot days, air conditioning is exactly what Amy Pierce, director of development for Jacksonville's Humane Society said all pets need.
"Always make sure your pet has a shady spot, some place they can get cool and out of the sun and rest their paws. Make sure they have plenty of drinking water, cold drinking water, so they don't dehydrate, but again it's always best to bring them inside when the weather is extreme like this," Pierce said.
Bierley said she now plans to call the dog Sadie because she says Sadie was sad being tied to that tree. Also if someone needs to get rid of a dog, there are multiple resources, including reaching out to the Animal Care and Protective Services, as well as reaching out to the Jacksonville Humane Society.
News4Jax has received several phone calls about pets that have been left in the heat. If you feel like an animal is being neglected, you can call Animal Care and Protective Services, but they did say that they've been receiving a high number of calls since the hot weather began this week. So they are responding to the calls in the order they come in.
The phone number to Animal Control is 904-630-2489.