Public Furor Erupts Following Death Of Pleasanton Dog – Apparently Of Heat Exposure

Fingers are pointing and accusations are being met by counter-accusation following a disturbing incident involving the death of a black dog apparently left in the sun on an apartment balcony in Pleasanton yesterday.

Police said Animal Services were attempting to reach the dog and arrived at the Galloway Apartments complex within 15 minutes of their first call but that it perished before officers could successfully locate its owner.

Neighbors reported seeing the animal, apparently in distress and exposed to the sun, on an apartment balcony near Gibraltar and Hacienda drives – someone making a video that apparently surfaced on local social media.

“If you see something, please report it immediately rather than waiting to share it on social media,” Pleasanton PD chided in a Facebook post addressing the incident.

But neighbors said yesterday was not the first time the dog had been spotted on the balcony and that they informed the apartment’s leasing office several times prior. It was not immediately known if neighbors notified Animal Services on those prior occasions.

Additionally, neighbors and the person who made the video said they tried several times to notify officials when they spotted the dog in trouble Tuesday.

The videographer said she called the police non-emergency number at 11:58 a.m., then called the department’s Animal Services Unit five times before trying non-emergency dispatch again.

She ended up calling 911 at 12:31 p.m. Police insisted they responded quickly, but distraught neighbors challenged that narrative.

Police further addressed the incident on their Facebook page.