Blood, claw marks and signs of struggle led to the arrest of a Naples woman on animal cruelty charges after witnesses found a dead dog in the back of a hot car.
Allison Christian, 45, of Naples, is charged with aggravated animal cruelty in connection with the death of a 3-year-old Labrador retriever mix named Tucker. Authorities say Tucker was a registered service animal.
Detectives said Christian got into a verbal dispute with her boyfriend around 2:30 p.m. Thursday after she found him inside an RV with another woman, Tucker’s owner.
During the dispute, Tucker ran out of the RV and into a nearby parked car. Christian secured Tucker in the vehicle, shut the door and left the residence.
She returned 20 minutes later, but deputies say she never checked on Tucker as he sweltered inside the locked car with the doors and windows closed in 83-degree heat.
Christian’s boyfriend and Tucker’s owner searched for Tucker, but couldn’t find him, according to the affidavit. About 5:30 p.m., Christian’s boyfriend entered the car and noticed the late dog.
Deputies reported the dog was stiff and there were “obvious signs of struggle” inside the car, as well as several smear marks from Tucker’s mouth and nasal area on all the windows.
Authorities also found claw marks, feces and blood in the car.
She has a history of animal-related cases in which dogs have been removed from her care and custody, according to her arrest report.
Court records indicate Christian’s arraignment is slated March 27.