Bel Air Woman Charged After Dog Found in Hot Car

A Bel Air woman was charged with animal cruelty Friday after Harford County sheriff's deputies found her dog locked in her car.

Just after 4 p.m., deputies arrived to the parking lot outside the Kohl's store in the unit block of Osborne Parkway in Forest Hill, according to a sheriff's office news release. They found an Australian cattle and beagle mix dog locked in a 2005 Chevrolet car. 

The car was not running, and the windows were open about an inch. The dog was panting and foaming from the mouth, according to the sheriff's office. The temperature outside at the time was 92 degrees, with a heat index of over 100, according to officials.

Deputies broke into the car to rescue the dog, according to the release. Deputies attempted to give the dog water, but the dog was too dehydrated to drink and was taken to an emergency veterinary hospital.

Sheriff's deputies found the dog's owner, Daphne Lynn Luckhardt, 45, whose last known address was in the 900 block of Hillswood Road, in the Kohl's. She was arrested and charged with animal cruelty and later released on her own recognizance, according to the sheriff's office.

The dog has been seized by Harford County Animal Control while the owner petitions to reclaim it.