Family adopts puppy it saved from hot car outside Florida Walmart

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — A puppy has a forever home Friday after a couple rescued it from a hot car outside a Walmart in Merritt Island, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies said Becky and Stephen Guidry were walking through the Walmart parking lot last week when they noticed a puppy that had been left in a car with the windows up and without ventilation.

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"Becky immediately recognized that the puppy was in distress and quickly went into the store to summon help," the Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. "Becky had the staff call 911 to summon law enforcement and then returned to the vehicle to render aid."

According to the post, when the couple returned to the car, they noticed the puppy was “in a very bad way,” and they managed to pry open a window to unlock the car and remove the dog.

“Within minutes after the puppy was pulled from the car, the vehicle owners exited the store, ran to their car and quickly exited the parking lot before law enforcement could arrive,” the post said.

The puppy was taken to the Sheriff's Office Animal Care Center, where it was treated.

The Guidrys requested to adopt the puppy, and on Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office presented the puppy to the family.

The Guidrys named the pup Zena.

“I truly appreciate everything that Becky and Stephen did to save Zena’s life, and that they took the appropriate actions in doing so,” Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in the post.

Last year, Florida passed legislation that allows citizens to take appropriate action in saving a child or pet that has been left unattended in a hot car.

Cox Media Group