A man in Phoenix, Ariz., has been issued a police citation after one of his two dogs died as result of a heat-related illness during a hike in Piestewa Peak on Wednesday.
Temperatures in Phoenix on Wednesday reportedly reached nearly 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit).
According to a statement from Phoenix police, the hiker, identified as 29-year-old Daniel Milunovic, called 911 shortly after 11 a.m. He told authorities he and his two dogs had been hiking along the mountainous Summit Trail when the dogs’ health began to decline.
Phoenix Fire personnel located Milunovic and his two dogs about 300 yards (about 275 metres) from the trailhead, the local outlet 12News KPNX reported.
By the time crew arrived at the scene, one dog — apparently a four-year-old or five-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback — was already dead. The other dog was in “heat distress” but was treated by rescue personnel. The Arizona Humane Society told 12News the surviving dog, which is currently in their care, is a 2-year-old female Belgian Malinois. The dog is reportedly in stable condition.
Nevertheless, a representative from the Arizona Humane Society told Fox News the surviving dog may never be the same.
“They may never be able to recover from this because their internal temperature has gotten so high, that for lack of a better word, it basically cooks their brain. So they could have long-term damage,” the representative said.
Milunovic was also assessed by the Phoenix Fire crew but refused to be transported to hospital for further evaluation.
He was issued a citation for failing to leave a park upon a lawful order. Police said they have launched an investigation into possible animal cruelty relating to the dead dog.
Earlier reports claimed Milunovic was detained after the hike, but police have since clarified the hiker was only issued a citation.
“There’s a reason why no one should be on this trail right now, whether it’s a human, whether it’s a dog,” Captain Todd Keller of the Phoenix Fire Department told Fox News. “It’s 110 degrees out right now, we’re in an Excessive Heat Warning. This is why these laws are implemented, so dogs don’t die. So people don’t die.”
Officials have reminded would-be hikers that dogs are strictly forbidden from the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail, no matter the time of year. Dogs are also prohibited from walking on hiking trails in Phoenix when temperatures are over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (nearly 38 degrees Celsius).
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