The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department received a call from security at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on July 20 after discovering the dog. It was locked in a vehicle on the top floor of their parking garage with its mouth taped shut. The temperature in Las Vegas that day was 45C (113F).
It had been in the car for nearly two hours without air conditioning or water before being rescued, local police said.
Local authorities said security was able to get the dog out of the car through the vehicle’s sunroof.
The man was arrested after the incident.
He has since been charged with deliberate and malicious torture of an animal.
Body camera footage released by the LVMPD shows the small dog panting heavily in the back seat of the car.
In the footage, a witness can be heard saying: “[There was a] a lot of saliva.
“He couldn’t breathe.”
You then see a man approaching the car while the officer asks him if he owns the vehicle.
He was arrested after confirming ownership of the vehicle.
In a statement posted on social media, police said: “During our investigation, we discovered that the dog had been in the car for nearly two hours without air conditioning, food or water, while the vehicle owner went inside to gamble.”
The three-month-old Husky puppy is still with the animal shelter and receiving medical treatment.
The Kennel Club warns dog owners, “Never leave your dog in a parked car on a hot day.”
It explains: “Dogs regulate their body temperature primarily by panting.
“If a dog is very hot, panting isn’t enough to keep it from overheating.
“In hot weather, the temperature inside a parked car can rise quickly and be much higher than outside the vehicle.
“Dogs left alone in a car on a hot day can quickly become dehydrated, get sunstroke or even die.”