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Animal cruelty investigation underway after puppy rescued from car at Royals game

Posted at 6:08 PM, Jun 20, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-23 08:35:05-04

It was a 1-1 game in the eighth inning Sunday afternoon, with the Detroit Tigers in a heated battle to split the series with the Royals in the 90-degree heat.

More than two hours into the fight, some fans headed for the exits. As one fan walked to Lot D outside Kauffman Stadium, they saw a white puppy in a car with the windows cracked.

“With this being extra innings, easily could have been five hours,” said Royals Director of Guest Experience Anthony Mozzicato, describing how long the dog’s owner could have been in the car if it wasn’t noticed before the end of the 13-inning game. “So the guest that spotted this dog out should be really proud for letting us know.”

The fan who spotted the dog was able to reach in the car and get the dog out. It was taken to an air conditioned room inside the stadium.

“We gave him some water. Had many people, including game day staff, including KCPD officers playing with him,” said Mozzicato.

After the rescue, a Royals staff member waited for the owner by the car.  After four to five innings, the employee wrote a note for the owner and left it on the car.

“That person could’ve stayed here and said, ‘Here’s my animal. I got this note,’ but they chose to take off,” said Mozzicato.

Another team employee took the puppy home overnight before giving it to animal control when the KC Pet Project shelter opened Monday.

“When it’s 90 degrees outside, it takes a matter of minutes for it to be 120 degrees in your car. And that’s even with windows partially rolled down,” said KC Pet Project CEO Teresa Johnson. 

Kansas City Missouri Communications Director Chris Hernandez confirms the city has launched an animal cruelty investigation. 

Tori Fugate with the KC Pet Project said according to Kansas City, Missouri, Animal Control, the owner of the puppy has been identified and citations have been issued. 

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story stated a Royals employee got the dog out of the car. The above copy reflects it was a fan who spotted and rescued the dog. 

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Brian Abel can be reached at brian.abel@kshb.com. 

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