Desert Vet Accused of Animal Cruelty

A Southern California veterinarian has been arrested after a dog locked in his car suffered a seizure and died.

Douglas Huber of Rancho Mirage was booked into jail for investigation of animal cruelty Saturday.

Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies received 911 calls around 9 a.m. about a dog in distress at a veterinarian’s office in Palm Desert. When they arrived, they couldn’t find the vehicle’s owner so they broke the window to get the dog out.

The sheriff’s department said the 8-year-old male German Shepherd died at the scene of suspected heat exhaustion. Temperatures in the desert were in the 80’s Saturday morning.