Dead pup in hot car at Disney Springs leads to animal cruelty charges
A Puerto Rico resident has been charged with animal cruelty for leaving four Bernedoodle puppies in a sweltering car in Disney Springs while he went for “take out” for his family, according to legal documents filed Tuesday by agricultural-crime detectives.
Wilson Nieves Cortes, 39, told investigators he went to the entertainment and dining complex near Disney on May 4 after he got the designer dogs from an Ohio breeder who had driven to Orlando with the pups, a mix of Bernese Mountain Dog, poodle and Australian shepherd.
He said he thought he’d be gone just 20 minutes, but data gathered during the investigation indicated he did not return for more than two hours.
One of the pups died, apparently of heat stroke, according to an eight-page affidavit detailing efforts by firefighter/paramedics with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and Disney Animal Kingdom veterinarians to rescue and revive them.
Orange County deputy Matthew Thorne, assigned since 2017 to the agricultural crime unit, said in the affidavit that he had found probable cause to charge Cortes with animal cruelty for leaving the puppies unattended in the hot vehicle, alleging the deceased pup “died a cruel and painful death.”
Thorne asked for a warrant to extradite Cortes from Puerto Rico.
Under the statute cited in the affidavit, animal cruelty is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Owner leaves 4 ‘Bernedoodles’ in hot vehicle while dining at Disney, may face charges
According to the court documents, Cortes told investigators he planned to take the three-month-old pups back to Puerto Rico and train them to be emotional support animals.
After picking them up, he said, he made a quick stop at Disney Springs to buy food for his wife and two sons before the family flew home to Puerto Rico. He said he hadn’t realized the popular dining venue was filled with dine-in restaurants.
Cortes said he walked the complex, not intending to sit down to eat because of the pups. He said he entered Blaze, where pizzas are made to order in front of customers, but left after deciding the line was not moving fast enough.
Cortes said he had parked in the garage because it was shaded and cracked the windows open for ventilation.
He left the puppies in a collapsible carrier in the SUV. All but one apparently climbed out.
A security officer on routine patrol in a parking garage discovered the dogs which he had heard barking.
According to the affidavit, the security officer saw the carrier flipped over with one puppy inside and another sitting on top of it.
Firefighter/paramedics used a device to open the front-passenger door and immediately treated three of the panting pups with water and cooling packs. Those puppies recovered quickly and appeared to be healthy to rescuers, who noted they “were drinking water and playing.”
Firefighters adopted each of them.
The fourth pup was less fortunate. Paramedics measured her heart rate at 300 beats per minute, about double the normal rate.
Their report also noted she was “extremely hot to the touch.” The pup was later euthanized.
Cortes did not return to the car until after the dogs had been found and removed.
