June 18, 2022  |  04:52 pm

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Mandeville man on felony animal cruelty charges after he left his dog outside in the heat and it died.

At approximately 3 p.m. Saturday (June 18), STPSO deputies were dispatched to a residence in the 1500 block of Jasmine Street in Mandeville after a neighbor called about a dog being left out in the heat.

Responding deputies located the deceased dog tethered in the yard without water, shade, food or a shelter of any kind. The heat index at the time was 114 degrees.

The dog’s owner, Christopher Jackson (DOB 11/3/1994) was arrested for L.R.S. 14:102.1Aggravated Animal Cruelty (felony) and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center.

Personnel with St. Tammany Parish Animal Services took possession of the deceased dog’s body.

“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,” 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.”