LIBERTY — A Youngstown couple faces charges after being accused of leaving several dogs in a vehicle with its internal temperature reaching triple digits. sAmy Mikulich, 27, and Desean Johnson, 30, pleaded not guilty to a charge of cruelty to companion animals in front of Girard Municipal Court Judge Jeffery Adler on Tuesday.

According to a police report, officers were called to the Walmart in Liberty Plaza around 7 p.m. Monday for an animal complaint regarding three dogs locked in a vehicle, with the caller noting the dogs were going to die, and the police needed to get there.

Dispatchers contacted the National Weather Service and noted that the temperature was 84 degrees, with a heat index of 88 degrees and a closed vehicle temperature of approximately 105 degrees.

Officers found the caller, a woman, and the vehicle, and the woman said she had called the Animal Welfare League and spoken with agents, who told her to remove the dogs and get them to an emergency vet.

The woman told officers that she already had removed two dogs, a French bulldog and a shepherd mix, with officers noting the bulldog was already breathing heavily.

The report states the woman was able to remove the third dog, a cairn terrier, and transport it to an emergency vet clinic in Girard, adding that she noticed the dogs attempting to drink from open alcoholic containers in the vehicle, too.

Several officers went into Walmart to make contact with the vehicle’s owner, Jackson, who was located with four children and Mikulich, who admitted to having a 24-ounce can of Twisted Tea, resulting in a charge of open container in a motor vehicle.

Mikulich told officers they entered the store between 10 and 30 minutes ago, and the couple left the windows cracked and the dogs in the parking lot because they never intended to be in there for a long time, the report states.

Mikulich told officers two of the dogs belonged to her and the third one belonged to Johnson, adding that she intended to stay with the dogs, but later decided to go in with Johnson.

Mikulich admitted that doing so was a poor decision given the weather conditions and was told of the National Weather Service’s note that the car’s temperature could have been as high as 105 degrees, the report states.

Two other officers spoke with Johnson, who admitted having a Cutwater Margarita in the vehicle, telling officers that the incident wasn’t a big deal and asking several times if it was illegal, the report states.

An AWL humane agent said humane officers would be issuing a seizure order to the couple.

Johnson and Mikulich are set to appear back in court Aug. 5, court records show,

ANIMAL SAFETY TIPS

AWL Chief Executive Officer Bethany Cluckey said animals need access to a lot of shade if they’re going to be outside during extreme heat.

“Cool, fresh water at all times — they actually make a lot of cooling devices. You can put ice blocks underneath a towel to kind of just keep your pet cool,” Cluckey said. “They do have fur coats, so that adds an extra layer that humans don’t have; if you’re really hot, your animal is even hotter.”

Cluckey said if you see a cat panting, it is “absolutely” an emergency because they only do it when conditions are extreme, so quick intervention is required.

“As far as dogs, dogs can’t cool themselves down; they can’t sweat like humans. There are some breeds that have shorter noses — they’re called brachycephalic breeds,” Cluckey said. “So your French bulldogs, your boxers, things like that, pups, they can’t adequately cool themselves down by panting because of the shape of their face.”

“Those breeds really can’t tolerate the heat at all, so they really should have the shortest potty breaks. No walks for them when it’s this hot, because they just can’t cool themselves down like another breed would.”

Cluckey encourages people to contact the county’s nonemergency dispatch number or their local police department, as they can get people to the correct organization for help, if they see an animal in distress or in a hot car.

Cluckey said the local police department can give guidance on whether you should break a vehicle’s window, acknowledging it’s a slippery slope when it comes to breaking and entering and people’s property.

“If you see something, absolutely say something,” Cluckey said. “We’ll also have our humane officers on call this week to respond to any urgent calls that come in because of the heat.”

Cluckey said the AWL gets about five to 10 calls a day about animals outside, but the organization also has a “weather list.”

“If we’ve been to a place before and they have animals that live outdoors, we add them to a list,” Cluckey said. “When it’s extreme temps — whether it’s cold or hot — we just kind of circle through to make sure that the animals are okay.”