Man arrested for leaving dog in 120-degree car at Disney Springs, just weeks after puppy died in similar incident

A man was arrested and charged with third-degree animal cruelty after leaving his dog in a 100-degree car at Disney Springs.

Man arrested in Disney Springs

Raul Benitezautrey, 42, of Philadelphia was charged with third-degree cruelty to animals stemming from his July 1 arrest at Disney Springs. He has pleaded not guilty, according to Orange County District Court records.

According to authorities, Benitezautrey attempted to enter the Disney Springs property with his Chihuahua but was turned away because pets are not allowed in the entertainment district unless they are trained service animals.

According to the Orange County Sheriff's recently released arrest report, Benitezautrey returned to his vehicle and shortly thereafter arrived back at the entrance to Disney Springs.

This raised alarm with Disney security, who immediately took action. Security searched the Watermelon property and eventually found the dog in the vehicle with the windows rolled down slightly. The dog was eventually rescued when Benitezautrey was at Disney Springs with his family.

The arrest report stated that a small bowl of water and food was left on the floor of the vehicle. With the doors closed and the windows slightly rolled down, the temperature rose to 49 degrees. Even with the rear door open for five minutes, the temperature only dropped to 39 degrees.

After entering Disney Springs at around 1:20 p.m., Benitezautrey returned to his car with his girlfriend and two young children at around 3:05 p.m. The arrest report states that Benitezautrey attempted to retrieve his dog from animal control while ignoring the deputy's orders.

The entire incident took place in front of a three-year-old and a seven-year-old. One of the girls was so excited that she began to cry and scream for her dog. The arrest report states: “There was a high probability that the dog could be seriously harmed by prolonged exposure to the extreme temperatures.”

Benitezautrey and his lawyer did not respond to requests for comment this week.

This incident occurred less than two months after another incident in which a guest left his dogs in a hot car at Disney Springs. On May 4, a man left four puppies in his car at the Lime Parking Garage at Disney Springs while he was eating dinner at a restaurant. While three of the puppies survived, one was euthanized after being found in critical condition.

Arrests remain frequent at Disney parks. In June, a woman attempted to bring her child into the Magic Kingdom while drunk. That same month, two guests violently attacked EPCOT employees at the Space 220 restaurant.

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Phil Wood