Dog Dies After Being Crated in Hot Daycare Van

Wheeling, Illinois – A family is mourning the loss of their beloved black Labrador retriever, Miller, who died after being left in a crate in a pet resort’s van for hours during hot weather. According to sources, Miller was forgotten in a Waggles Pet Resort van on a day when the temperature outside climbed to nearly 100 degrees.

As reported by CBS Chicago, Miller was left in the pet resort van for seven hours. The dog’s owner, Steve Serota describes Miller as a “big goofy black lab, he was everything you wanted in a dog.”

According to Serota, Miller went to the resort several times per week, but on the day he died, nobody took him out of the van after he was picked up at 9 a.m. Serota tells CBS News about the call he received, “They tell me Miller’s died. And I’m in full shock, and I’m like what happened? How is that possible? And they told me they left him in the van for the whole day.”

This week, CBS News reported that the owner of the pet resort, Ross Niehaus, was charged with cruel treatment of animals. He was released and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 25.