Chihuahua, tabby cat rescued from hot car in Ontario will fully recover, veterinarian says

ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) -- Two pets, a 3-year-old male Chihuahua and a male tabby cat, rested comfortably inside the Inland Valley Humane Society Tuesday after being rescued from a hot car the day before.

Veterinarian Cindy Kinney expects the animals to make a full recovery.

"They're eating and drinking and very happy," she said.

But it was a much different story Monday afternoon, when they were found in an Ontario parking lot trapped in a hot car.

The two survived, but another Chihuahua was found dead inside the car. The owner, 42-year-old Jennifer Arriaga, was arrested.

"It doesn't take long for this to happen. It can happen very quickly. The temperature inside the car, I believe, was 113 degrees," Kinney said.

Arriaga was arraigned at the Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse Tuesday morning. She pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of animal cruelty.

As for pets being left in hot cars, it is something Kinney said she sees all the time. She said in this case, someone called police. When authorities arrived, they broke one of the car windows to rescue the pets.

But Kinney said there is no excuse as to what happened - and that cost a third animal its life.

"There's no reason to leave an animal in a car unattended - at any time. Cold, hot, anything - there's no excuse for it. If you're not going to lock yourself in the car, why would you lock your animals in the car in the heat? It doesn't make sense to me," she said.

For now, Arriaga remains behind bars with her bail set at $50,000. Her next court appearance is scheduled for some time later this month.