Jason Minson was in Norfolk, Virginia working on a job for his landscaping business when he heard a loud bang coming from the road. The army veteran hurried out and saw that a car passing by had accidentally crashed into a parked vehicle.
But that’s when he looked into the parked car and saw something horrifying.
Inside the car on the hot day, without only a tiny slither of the window open for air, was a puppy. The black Labrador pup was panting vigorously – the kind that Minson immediately recognized as the kind a dog does when overheating fatally.
Quickly, he dialled 911, where a dispatcher sent out a unit but warned Minson that breaking the window would be considered a crime in the state.
As the unit drove over, Minson grabbed a water bottle and slowly offered some to the puppy, who drank extremely enthusiastically and desperately.
The unit, and an animal control officer, soon arrived – but by then, 20 minutes had passed, and the puppy was lying on the ground and his panting had decreased. Minson feared he wouldn’t survive, especially as the officers struggled to open the door.
So Minson told police officers to just charge him with the crime. He borrowed a baton and smashed the window, and the pup was freed. He was rushed to the vet, and the pup’s owner was soon located by police to be charged. Minson was also contacted by police, but not to be charged – to act as a witness at the hearing for the case.
Minson visited the little puppy the next day at the vet, and he was happy to see that he was doing better and getting stronger quickly. He wants all dog parents to be sure never to leave their pups in a car, especially on a hot day – and, ideally, never at all.
Images & Feature Image Source: Jason Minson