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Long Island resident Jodi Meyers, age 51, of Lake Grove in Suffolk County, was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and failing to provide proper shelter and air for a 3-year-old black Labrador retriever named Milton.
Meyers, an employee at the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, located in Smithtown, took the dog out for training in July 2022 and left the animal inside a crate in a work van, according to the Suffolk County SPCA.
Outside temperatures at the time were hovering around 90 degrees.
Milton was found dead 5 ½ hours later, the SPCA said.
The dog’s owner, Michelle Krupa, told PIX11 News that she suffers from Usher’s syndrome and is slowly losing her ability to see and hear.
She said she had spent 15 years looking for a guide dog that could work with someone who is both blind and deaf before finding Milton.
Krupa told the outlet that she is not mad at the Guide Dog Foundation, but hopes to see new policies implemented to prevent future tragedies.
Meyers surrendered to SPCA detectives on Wednesday, Sept. 21. She’s scheduled to appear in First District Court in Central Islip on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
“Animal cruelty will not be tolerated in Suffolk County,” the SPCA said in a statement.
The organization asked those who witness animal cruelty or neglect in Suffolk County to contact the SPCA at 631-382-7722.
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