Dog dies after being left alone in the sun on a balcony in Centralia on Saturday

The Centralia Police Department is investigating a possible animal abuse case after a dog died while left alone on a balcony for an extensive period of time on Saturday.

Temperatures in the Centralia area were in the 80s for much of the day on Saturday, reaching 81 degrees at 12:15 p.m. and climbing to 90 degrees by 4:55 p.m., according to data collected by the National Weather Service.

Officers responded to a report of two dogs that had been “left alone on a balcony in the hot sun all day” in the 400 block of West Pine Street just after 3:45 p.m. on Aug. 31, according to a Centralia Police Department news release. Witnesses described the two dogs “as being in distress.”

No one was present at the residence when officers arrived Saturday afternoon. Officers were unable to locate the dogs’ owner.

“Officers were able to rescue one dog, but the other was deceased,” the Centralia Police Department stated in a news release on Sunday.

Criminal charges for animal abuse are pending necropsy results, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Officials did not identify the dogs’ owner on Sunday.

Leaving an animal alone in an enclosed space where the animal’s health and safety is compromised due to excessive heat, excessive cold, lack of ventilation or a lack of water is illegal under Washington state law, with charges ranging from a civil infraction to felony animal cruelty charges depending on the severity of the situation.

The Humane Society of the United States advises dog owners to ensure their dogs access to shade and fresh water any time they are outside on a hot day.