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Woman charged after dog left in hot car outside PetSmart dies

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Police say a dog died after it was left in a hot car outside a northern Virginia pet store on a day when temperatures in the region hit 100 degrees.

Fairfax County police say officers and fire personnel called to a PetSmart in Falls Church around noon Monday for a report of a dog locked in a vehicle found the 5-year-old puggle in distress. They tried to cool down the dog and took it to a veterinarian's office in the store, where police say the dog was pronounced dead.

Police say the dog's owner, 19-year-old Megan Campbell of Falls Church, is charged with felony animal cruelty.

Officer Megan Hawkins tells WTOP-FM that county animal control officers have responded to 23 calls related to animals and the heat since Saturday.