If you visit California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain while vacationing with your dog, it’s probably not a good idea to bring your dog with you. Dogs aren’t fans of roller coasters… well, that, and and non-service animals aren’t allowed inside the park. For this reason, Six Flags provides a free kennel for the pets of guests. One recent visitor to the park was upset after her service dog escaped from the kennel. After all, she had never put the dog there in the first place. She had left her in the car.

Now, we imagine that most of the Consumerist reading audience already knows this, but cars can become unbearably hot quickly even when it’s not very hot outside. Young children and animals die in hot cars, and their caretakers are often prosecuted for cruelty.

“I really love my dog, and I wouldn’t let anything happen to her,” the owner bawled into a television camera on Monday. Malibu, a year-old Pomeranian, had been left in the car on an 80-degree day with the windows cracked open and some water. As a doctor-ordered emotional support animal, she could have been allowed in the park as a service animal, but the shoulder bag in which she usually traveled was ripped.

The Six Flags Magic Mountain website provides this guidance for pet owners on its “Frequently Asked Questions” page:

Is there a place where I can leave my pets?

Pets are not permitted in the park, with the exception of service animals. Six Flags Magic Mountain does provide kennel services. Please ask a parking attendant for the location outside of the park. For the health and safety of your pet, do not leave it in your car for any length of time while visiting the park. Six Flags Magic Mountain will call Animal Services to rescue your pet at your expense, which may also result in prosecution.

The Park Services page is more succinct:

KENNEL

You can board your pet for FREE at our kennel, which is located in the main parking lot. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PET IN OR TIED TO A VEHICLE WHILE YOU VISIT THE PARK.

Security staff saw Malibu, assumed that she was dead or severely ill with heatstroke, and broke a car window to save the animal.

“Our security personnel and the sheriff saw the dog, which they thought was dead, broke into the car to get the dog out,” a Six Flags spokeswoman explained to KCAL. “We brought it over here to the dog kennel, revived it, gave it some water, cooled it down…” Malibu the Pomeranian, however, did not recognize how lucky she was, and escaped from the kennel while her water dish was being refilled.

Malibu was found yesterday and has been reunited with her human.

Woman Reunited With Service Dog After Losing Her At Six Flags [KCAL] (Thanks, GitEmSteveDave!)

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