The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office arrested a Mandeville-area man Saturday and booked him with felony animal cruelty after the man's dog died in the heat.
According to the sheriff's office, a neighbor called around 3 p.m. to report the dog had been chained outside as afternoon temperatures soared.
"Responding deputies located the deceased dog tethered in the yard without water, shade, food or a shelter of any kind," according to sheriff's office officials. "The heat index at the time was 114 degrees."
Christopher Jackson was booked into the parish jail on one count of felony animal cruelty.
"It is extremely hot outside. I plead to all pet owners to please make sure your pets have adequate water, food and some place to go to stay cool," St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith said. "Our pets cannot tell us when they are hot or when they are thirsty. They rely on us to care for them, and in this case this man failed to provide the bare minimum and his dog died as a result."