Complaint: De Pere woman said she left dog in car "a long time"

A De Pere woman has been criminally charged in the death of her dog in hot vehicle outside Lambeau Field.

Debbie J. Rohloff, 55, is charged with a felony count of Mistreatment of Animals and a misdemeanor count of Fail to Provide Proper Food and Drink to Confined Animals. Charges were filed Aug. 5.

On July 11, Green Bay Police were called to the parking lot located near the Packers Pro Shop. A dog was dead in a vehicle there.

A criminal complaint obtained by Action 2 News states police met with Debbie Rohloff. She told them she had a meeting at the stadium and she had brought her Golden Retriever Kaylee with her.

Rohloff said she "has no excuse and she knew she brought the dog and knew she had left it in the vehicle," reads the complaint. Police asked her how long. She answered, "a long time."

Rohloff said she had not cracked or opened any of the vehicle's windows for the dog. The vehicle was in direct sunlight. There were no dishes for food or water.

Police determined Kaylee had been in the vehicle for three hours.

Kaylee was transported to Animal Referral Center in Bellevue where vets determined the preliminary cause of death to be heat stroke. A full necropsy was completed to rule out other causes of death. The necropsy found no evidence of disease or chronic organ failure in Kaylee.

Rohloff appeared in court Aug. 6. She was released on a $2,500 signature bond. Conditions of bond state she can have no pets.

Rohloff's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 21.

Green Bay Police have

Wisconsin has a Good Samaritan law that allows people to act when they see an animal in distress. The law says citizens should first call 911. They should also try to find the owner and check to see if the vehicle is locked.

If the citizen feels the dog is in danger, they can break a window.

The key for them is knowing the signs that an animal is in distress.

"Animals tend to seize. They lose body function. they might urinate, defecate. Their gums are going to be bright red. They're going to be panting heavily, barking, whining, crying," says Green Bay Humane Officer Mallory Meves.