VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — An Illinois woman is facing animal cruelty charges after her dog was found dead inside a vehicle, Daytona Beach police said.
Gloria Daniels went to the hospital July 9 and parked her car with her dog inside at the parking lot of Halifax Hospital at 303 N. Clyde Morris Boulevard.
Apollo, a 7-year-old black Pug, was found dead on the driver’s side floorboard of the vehicle.
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Before his death, a security guard told police he saw the dog in the car just at 2:17 p.m. The windows were cracked and the dog had food and water, police said. The guard said he checked on the dog 30 minutes later and he was breathing and not in distress.
The security guard called animal control after learning Daniels was going to be admitted to the hospital. When he arrived, he found Apollo dead inside the vehicle, police said.
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Animal control used an infrared thermometer and the vehicle was 115 degrees, police said.
Daniels told police that she recently moved from Illinois and did not have a place to stay, so she was living inside her vehicle with Apollo.
Daniels said she went to the hospital for chest pain and that Apollo was in the vehicle about three hours before he was found dead.
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