Michael Hammons of Athens, Georgia was charged with criminal trespassing after freeing a small Pomeranian mix in distress from a hot car outside a store.

Witnesses say that while a group of shoppers waited for police to arrive to free the dog, the Desert Storm veteran smashed the window of the silver Mustang using his wife's wheelchair leg.

'He says we can't let this dog die, and he starts smashing the windows,' bystander Diane Byard told WXIA

'I've got PTSD, and I've seen enough death and destruction,' Hammons said. 'And I didn't want anything else to happen if I could prevent it.'

Deputies say the car's owner came out of the store furious and insisted Hammons be arrested.

When asked if they would have arrested Hammons if the owner hadn't insisted, Oconee County Chief Deputy Lee Weems said no. Deputies did not identify the woman. She received a citation from animal control for leaving the dog in the hot car.\

Georgia state law allows an individual to break a window to save a child in distress but not a pet. Animal advocates say they are working to change the law.

'We didn't want to charge him, but he told us he broke the windows and when you have a victim there saying she wants him charged, we had no other choice,' Weems told My Fox Atlanta.

Now Hammons is facing charges and a bill to fix the broken glass on the woman's car.

But he says he doesn't regret his action one bit.

'I knew there'd be consequences, but it didn't matter. Glass, they make new glass every day, but they could never replace that dog,' Hammons said.

1. OWNING A CAT IS BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

If you're worried about your carbon footprint, it’s better to own a cat than a dog. A 2009 study found that the resources needed to feed a dog over the course of its life create the same eco-footprint as that of a Land Cruiser. Meanwhile, cats—which eat less in general and are more likely to eat fish than corn- or beef-flavored products—only have the approximate carbon footprint of a small hatchback.

2. THEY'LL HELP YOU COPE ...

Losing a loved one is incredibly painful, but one of the best ways of coping is to own a pet. Cats have been shown to help people get over their loss more quickly, and show less physical symptoms of pain, like crying. Despite the fact that they are only animals, cats serve as a social support during difficult times. People in mourning report talking to their pet to work out their feelings, since it is often easier to talk to something that won’t respond and can’t judge than to another human being.

3. ... AND FIND A SIGNIFICANT OTHER.

If you’re a single guy and you can’t seem to get a date, get a cat! A British poll found that 82 percent of women agreed they are more attracted to men who like animals. And while having a dog will do wonders for your dating life, a whopping 90 percent of single women said that men who own a cat are “nicer” than other guys. Listing that you own a cat on your dating profile could do wonders for the number of responses you get—but remember, a cat is for life, not just until you find a partner.

4. CAT OWNERS ARE SMART.

A 2010 survey of British pet owners by the University of Bristol found that people who owned cats were more likely to have college degrees than their dog loving counterparts. In 2014, a researcher in Wisconsin surveyed 600 college students and found that cat owners were actually more intelligent as well. (But it's probably not the cat itself making the owner smarter: The researchers conducting the Bristol survey said that smarter people tend to work longer hours, and since cats require less attention than dogs, they are a better choice for the busy intellectual.)

5. YOU'LL HAVE A HEALTHIER HEART.

Owning any pet is good for your heart. Cats in particular lower your stress level—possibly since they don’t require as much effort as dogs—and lower the amount of anxiety in your life. Petting a cat has a positive calming effect. One study found that over a 10-year period cat owners were 30 percent less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than non-cat owners (although this might just be because cat owners are more relaxed and have lower stress in general).

One cat has even received the highest medal available to military animals. Simon the cat was onboard the HMS Amethyst, which was sailing up the Yangtze in 1949 when a shell hit the ship, killing several marines and severely injuring Simon. (The event marked the beginning of the 101 day siege of the ship, which would become known as the Yangtze Incident.) Simon was fixed up, and despite being injured, performed his ship duty and started catching the rats that were threatening the ship’s food supply, as well as providing moral support for the surviving sailors. Simon died not long after the ship returned to the UK, but he was posthumously awarded the UK’s Dickin Medal, recognized as the animal Victoria Cross, for "behaviour [of] the highest order, although the blast was capable of making a hole over a foot in diameter in a steel plate."

1. Dog lovers listen
Not too surprisingly, dog people tended to be more obedient in nature. According to an article in the Huffington Post, dog lovers “followed the rules more closely”, while cat lovers “tended to be non-conformists, preferring to be expedient rather than follow the rules”. Those of you who’ve ever tried to call your cat to you when you have company over probably understand this one.

2. Cat lovers are smart
This is where things get controversial. In the study, cat people scored higher on the test of intelligence than dog people. While this doesn’t necessarily hold true to all people in each group, higher intelligence test scores tended to fall within the cat-people category.

3. Dog lovers keep things lively
Live Science’s article on this same study also noted that dog people were more lively. Meaning that they were friendlier and more energetic. Cat people, on the other hand, didn’t seem to carry the same qualities as frequently in the study.

4. Cat lovers keep an open mind
As with the intelligence finding, this doesn’t necessarily mean that dog owners are the opposite. Rather, cat people were more consistently found to be a bit more open minded than were the dog lovers. This was based on general appreciation of art, unusual ideas, adventure, and an overall sense of curiosity and experience.

5. Dog lovers love people
It’s no secret, cats can be a bit standoffish. In this same way, their owners tend to be less outgoing as well. Dog owners, however, were found to enjoy the company of others more. A potential reason for this was offered by the Huffington Post, noting that the lifestyle of a dog owner is a bit more active to begin with as owners take their pets outside and to parks where they have more opportunity to socialize with others.




6. Cat lovers seek affection, dog lovers look for companionship
Maybe not so surprising but interestingly noted in the Live Science article was that cat people seek affection from their pets while dog people were more after companionship. Study researcher Denise Guastello notes on this that “It’s possible that people may select pets based on their own personality. For example, cats are often seen as independent animals that keep to themselves, and are cautious of others.”

7. Cat lovers are sensitive
Often times, people see sensitivity as a bad thing. This isn’t necessarily the case. Cat people were found to be more sensitive in this study, while dog owners showed fewer signs of sensitivity in provided tests.

8. Dog lovers represent a larger portion of people
Live Science reported that 60% of study respondents said they preferred dogs while just 11% reported a preference for cats (the rest said they either like both animals equally or didn’t like either animal). Looks like dog owners win the popularity vote!

9. Cat lovers prefer solitude
According to research reported by Modern Dog magazine, cat owners were one third more likely to live alone and twice as likely to live in an apartment or flat. Dog ownership was more closely related to living in a house with a spouse and/or family members.

10. Dog lovers are dominant
In the same study reported on by Modern Dog magazine, researchers noted that cat owners tended to possess fewer qualities associated with dominance than dog owners. These qualities included assertiveness, self-confidence, forcefulness, and persistence.

Indiana, a German Shepherd Dog named for Indiana Jones, is Modern Dog reader Linda Tretow's best friend. Together they managed to get over 22,000 votes in our last Star Dog contest and came in second place. Despite not taking first in the contest, they won a spot in our hearts. Quite simply, we fell for these two and decided to feature them anyways.

"Indiana is my friend and companion, my life and my love," Linda shares. "We go on daily walks together, play ball, and run. He loves all his toys and knows them by name. He loves to chase birds, chipmunks, and butterflies. He gives me daily bear hugs. He is amazing and we are like two peas in a pod!"

It's partnerships like this that we're all about here at Modern Dog—terrific dogs and terrific people building an interspecies bond based on love, respect, and understanding. It's the coolest, isn't it?