Cartersville police say a dog that was locked in the back of a U-Haul for more than an hour has died.

According to Cartersville police reports:

Jerry Mason, 50, of Savannah, locked the dog in the box portion of the truck after it began to act unruly.

The box portion of the truck was completely packed with moving boxes, loose furniture, a lawnmower and other items.

According to police, when they arrived at 1325 East Main St. in Cartersville a cocker spaniel-mix dog was in the parking lot in apparent physical distress next to a U-Haul truck driven by Mason. The dog was being attended to by a concerned citizen who was pouring water on the dog to help cool it down.

A Cartersville animal control officer transported the dog to a nearby veterinarian for treatment of possible heat stroke.

Mason was arrested and transported to the Bartow County Jail and charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Previously posted

A Savannah man is charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty after allegedly locking a dog in the back of a U-Haul for over an hour, according to reports.

According to Cartersville police reports:

Jerry Mason, 50, of Savannah, locked the dog in the box portion of the truck after it began to act unruly.

The box portion of the truck was completely packed with moving boxes, loose furniture, a lawnmower and other items.

According to police, when they arrived at 1325 East Main Street in Cartersville a cocker spaniel mixed dog was lying in the parking lot in apparent physical distress next to a U-Haul truck driven by Mason. The dog was being attended to by a concerned citizen who was pouring water on the dog to help cool it down.

A Cartersville animal control officer transported the dog to a nearby veterinarian

for treatment of possible heat stroke.

Mason stated that the dog had only been in the back of the truck for an hour. He also said that he did not think an hour was a long period of time to keep the dog in the back of the truck.

Mason was arrested and transported to the Bartow County jail and charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Chief Thomas Culpepper of the Cartersville Police Department stated, “We cannot stress enough the importance of not keeping animals locked in vehicles where there is no circulation. Animals simply cannot tolerate the amount of heat that an enclosed area generates in this summer weather. An animal

can be in distress within minutes due to the high temperatures we have been experiencing.”

As of August 6 the dog is still in care of the veterinarian being treated for exhaustion and low glucose levels.