A Durango woman has been cited with criminal trespass for breaking into a car to “rescue” a puppy that didn’t need to be rescued.

Shelby Perovich, 25, reached into the back window of a blue 1996 Chevy pickup to unlock it, but the window popped off, fell to the ground and shattered, according to a Durango Police Department report.

Perovich did not return calls seeking comment.

Durango resident Victoria Fristensky, a health benefit advisor at Mercy Regional Medical Center, said she walked out of the building about 4:30 p.m. June 7 and heard a puppy whining. It was “hot as hell” and the windows were “a little cracked,” she said.

The day’s high reached 85 degrees, recorded at 5:05 p.m. at the Durango-La Plata County Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

Fristensky said the dog was on the floor under the steering wheel. She took a picture of the license plate and reported it to hospital security so they could try to locate the truck’s owner.

She then called 911, and a dispatcher advised her to call La Plata County Animal Protection.

About that time, Perovich exited the hospital carrying her baby and also heard the puppy crying, Fristensky said.

Fristensky and Perovich tried unsuccessfully to open the truck doors. Then Perovich tried the window, which popped out and fell to the ground.

Animal Protection arrived at 4:47 p.m., said Travis Woehrel, managing supervisor for the agency. The window was broken when officers arrived, he said. Officers took the temperature of the car, which read 110 degrees near where the puppy was sitting, according to a police report.

Woehrel declined to speculate how much the car may have cooled after the window was broken.

The two front windows were open about 3 inches, and the back driver-side window also was cracked open, the report stated.

The puppy was taken to the La Plata County Humane Society, and a veterinarian determined the dog to be in good shape, Woehrel said.

“I know that it was fairly young, and it was perfectly healthy when the vet checked it out,” he said.

The truck belongs to Durango residents Kia and Lorrin Willden, who could not be reached this week for comment.

Woehrel encourages people to call Animal Protection before taking matters into their own hands.

It is not unusual, especially this time of year, for people to call Animal Protection concerned about a pet inside a hot car, Woehrel said. Usually, the animal is a little uncomfortable but not in distress, he said.

There is no defined temperature that causes distress in pets, he said, in part because there are too many factors at play, including how long the pet is left inside the car, the age of the animal and the overall health of the animal.

Officers will look for signs of distress, Woehrel said, including lethargy, rapid panting and discolored gums.

“Dogs pant even when it’s cold outside, so panting doesn’t necessarily mean much,” he said.

“Most of the calls we get, yeah, they’re hot, and they could be more comfortable, but people aren’t gone very long or they’re doing things the right way to keep their pet safe.”

Officers typically monitor the situation to ensure conditions don’t worsen, he said.

During his two years with Animal Protection, this is the first instance Woehrel can recall in which residents have taken matters into their own hands.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize that breaking into a car like that is against the law,” he said. “I know their hearts are in the right spot, but people have rights that are being violated when people do this.”

Fristensky said she reported the car to security at 4:31 p.m., but it wasn’t until 5:25 that the owner of the truck came to the parking lot. “What if Shelby and I did not do anything in that hour?” she said. “That dog would have been dead. So therein lies a problem – doing the right thing.”

Fristensky said she feels badly that Perovich received a citation because it is she who initiated the effort to free the puppy. Fristensky has offered to pay any expenses, including the estimated $1,800 it will cost to replace the window.

“We as citizens, what is our responsibility? That is the question,” she said.

shane@durangoherald.com This story was updated as more information about the incident became available.

Tips for pets in cars

Animal Protection officers encourage residents to leave multiple windows cracked open to create airflow and park in the shade if possible if they have pets onboard.

If someone sees a pet left inside a hot car, they should:

Record the car’s make, model and license plate number.

If there is a business nearby, notify an on-duty manager or security guard and ask them to make an announcement to find the car’s owner. Many people will quickly return to their vehicle once they are alerted to the situation.

If the owner can’t be found, call the nonemergency number of the local police or Animal Protection and wait by the car for them to arrive.

Humane Society of the United States