A resilient German shepherd trapped in a hot car notified passersby about her plight by honking the car horn. After the distressed dog was rescued, an officer on the scene gave the canine a second chance at life.
On June 20, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) received a report that two dogs (a pitbull and a German shepherd) and a cat were left inside a car with no air conditioning and with the windows only about half an inch down. They were there for almost three hours with outside temperatures of over 90 degrees.
When officers arrived at Intown Suites Hotel—where the car was parked—they found the key still inside the car. Tragically, the pitbull had already died, the German shepherd was panting hard and showing signs of extreme exhaustion, while the feline was still holding onto life by a thread.
Public Safety Officer Sam Poe told The Epoch Times that witnesses to the scene informed the IMPD that the German shepherd was honking the horn and attempting to get out the window by busting it with her nose.
For Officer Poe seeing an animal lose its life in that way was “emotional.”
“It tugs at your heartstrings. ... Even though we work for the police department, we’re still humans,” he said.
When Officer Poe first saw the German shepherd—previously named Sugar, now called Abby—she was already with animal control in the back of a pickup truck.
“I was playing with her a little bit and just getting to know her,” he said. But despite her distress, Abby was “very sweet, docile, and curious.”
Touched by the dog’s gentle nature, Officer Poe, who has worked in law enforcement for around three years, enquired with animal control about adopting her. They took down his name and details and after a five-day holding period, he was able to take her home.
“She chose me more than I really chose her,” Officer Poe said. “I definitely did not go to work thinking I was going to take a dog home, or even try to adopt a dog. It just happened.”
Funnily enough, Officer Poe’s housemates were out of town when Abby was brought home, and thus, he didn’t have a chance to inform them.
“[When] they found out from the news, at first they were like, ‘Oh, great, we have a dog’. But after they met Abby, they fell in love with her,” he said.
It seems they’re not the only ones.
When the story was shared online, Officer Poe said, “Everyone’s kind of falling in love with her more than I have.”
Since arriving at her forever home, the once-neglected German shepherd has settled in.
“She was sitting outside all day yesterday and on the screened porch, loving life,” Officer Poe said at the time of writing.
“She sleeps any chance she gets and plays with her toys.”
The household already has a total of four cats and Abby has fit right in.
Meanwhile, the cat that was saved from near death has been placed for adoption.
