SOUTHWICK, MASS. (WHDH) - Southwick police are reminding residents to leave their pets at home if they’re going to be running errands after finding a little dog in a 105-degree vehicle.
The dog was spotted by an alert officer who was patrolling a parking lot in Southwick on Friday.
The officer said he found the “little guy with his nose pressed against the window that was left down an inch or so.”
After stopping his cruiser, the officer took a temperature reading inside the vehicle and found that it was 105 degrees, even though it was only 79 degrees outside.
When the owner returned, the officer “educated the owner on how quickly the temperature inside a vehicle can rise and how cracking one or even all of the windows does nothing or very little at most to control the temperature in the vehicle. The owner stated she did not realize how hot and fast it actually gets inside the vehicle as she was only in the store a few minutes.”
In a post on Facebook Southwick police noted, “Almost every encounter police officers have with pet owners all hear the same story in how much they love their animals and would never do anything to harm them which, for the most part is absolutely true, however, leaving your pet inside a vehicle, parked in a parking lot during the warmer months of the year is unknowingly one of the most harmful things you can do to your pet. It only takes minutes for temperatures to rise to the level of putting your beloved pet in great danger.”
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