Officers contacted a drunk man in Magnolia Saturday night about a serious case of menagerie mismanagement after the man left his hot dog and a sweaty, sweatpants-wearing pig trapped in a car.
Around 9 PM on June 29th, a witness called 911 after spotting the animals inside the car, parked near W. Bertona St and Gilman Ave W.
Officers arrived at the scene, where they spoke to the 911 caller, who had opened the unlocked car’s door to help cool off the animals. Even late in the evening, it was still about 86 degrees outside and presumably even hotter inside the car.
Inside the vehicle, officers found a small, panting dog and a lethargic pot bellied pig—dressed in a pair of sweatpants for some reason—along with empty food and water bowls, and quite a bit of feces.
Officers also discovered the absent car owner had left his keys in the ignition.
After giving the animals fresh water and airing out the car, officers went looking for their owner of the abandoned animals and found the man sitting inside a bar down the street.
After confronting the man about leaving his animals along in a car without food, water or fresh air on a very hot day, officers also explained to the man that it’s against the law to leave keys in a vehicle ignition of an unattended vehicle.
The man—who had been at the bar for about 45 minutes—was quite agitated, and demanded that officers show him where they had found feces in his vehicle. So they did.
Before leaving the scene, officers ensured the animals were safe and again reminded their owner not to leave his pets in an unventilated space without food and water.
The case will be turned over to Renton Animal Control for investigation as the animals’ owner lives outside Seattle.
Now everyone please go read and memorize the Seattle Animal Shelter’s summer pet safety tips.