A Nye County Animal Control Officer credits a sharp-eyed Pahrump resident who spotted two small dogs in a vehicle parked at Walmart early Monday afternoon.
Sandra Sbabo was shopping at the retailer when she heard the dogs barking incessantly just after 1 p.m.
Monday’s high temperature in Pahrump hovered near 98 degrees throughout the afternoon.
“I was in the garden center at Walmart looking for a tree when I heard dogs crying and yelping,” she said. “I came out and sure enough, I saw what I thought it was going to be. There were two small dogs in a pickup truck with the windows partially cracked down.”
“Even in the shade, it is not safe because the shade will eventually give way to sunlight. They were in the truck for as long as I’ve been here, which was about a half an hour. They were here before me.”
Upon arrival, the animal control officer immediately checked on the condition of the dogs.
The officer noted the animals were not in distress as temperatures were not yet at a dangerous level.
No charges were filed. Before departing the scene, the officer posted a warning notice on the vehicle, prior to the owner’s arrival.
Sbabo, however, waited for the owner of the older model pickup truck, in an effort to have a few words with the man.
She actually confronted the owner when he returned to the vehicle several minutes after the animal control officer left the scene.
“He said that I was nosy and interfering,” Sbabo said. He was just trying to turn the tables to make me responsible for the situation, when all I was doing was trying to help. He said it was no big deal that he left the dogs in the car because it’s not very hot. He was quite rude, which I get all the time from some people. He just couldn’t see that I was just very concerned about the dogs.”
Additionally, Sbabo actually offered dog food to the unidentified elderly male, to help feed his four-legged companions.
“That’s pretty much what I do in life,” she said “I love to take care of animals. I have several animals that I own. I actually offered to help him if he needed dog food, which I always do for people and their dogs. I always keep my eyes open for situations such as this, especially during the summer here in Southern Nevada. This is ridiculous and it happens every summer. Some people are just brainless. This is a very, very important issue. I’ve lived here in Pahrump for about 10 years. I just don’t have any tolerance for this.”
Animal control officials encourage residents to leave their pets at home, if possible while running errands.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com, on Twitter: @pvtimes