Porter Police arrested a Griffith man early Tuesday morning after an officer on patrol spotted a large dog riding in the exposed bed of a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck on the highway in single-digit weather, according to a release.
The officer, Sgt. Thomas Blythe, spotted the pickup at around 1:45 a.m. Feb. 20 in the area of U.S. 20 and Interstate 94.
Police said the dog, a German shepherd mix, “was unprotected in any way from the severe single-digit temperatures.”
Blythe initiated a traffic stop to check on the wellbeing of the dog, named Chica, and spoke with the driver, who identified himself as Chica’s owner. The driver, whose name is not being released by police until he is formally charged, told police he was traveling back to Griffith from Chesterton “but was quick to state he intended to stay off the expressway due to Chica being in the back.”
Blythe noted that Chica “had ice formed in her whiskers and she didn’t hesitate to jump inside a warm Porter Police vehicle,” according to the release.
He also observed there was “more than adequate room” inside the cab of the pickup for Chica to have been there instead of in the exposed bed.
Blythe reported the temperature was at 9 degrees at the time of the stop, and a weather.com calculation indicated the real feel was -19 degrees at 55 mph for Chica.
Porter County Animal Control was contacted and responded to the scene to take custody of Chica.
Burns Harbor and Chesterton Police also assisted at the scene.
“Porter Police would like to remind pet owners that extreme cold is just as dangerous as extreme heat to canines and other domestic animals. We encourage all pet owners to treat these weather conditions seriously, make good decisions, and prevent tragedies,” police said in the release.
This was the second time this month police arrested a pet owner whose dog was exposed to the elements on the highway. On Feb. 11, Indiana State Police at the Lowell Post were notified of a Facebook post of an SUV pulling a trailer with a dog in a kennel on it.
