Cracking the windows isn’t enough when five dogs are sitting inside a parked car during the summer. A Newport Beach Animal Control Officer found that out firsthand when they arrived to find multiple dogs confined inside cages and already showing signs of distress.
The Newport Beach Police Department says the animals were trapped inside the vehicle as temperatures continued to climb on May 18 at about 1:33 p.m. Most of the dogs were inside cages, and the windows had only been left slightly open.
With the animals’ condition getting worse, the officer decided there wasn’t time to wait around for another solution. They broke one of the vehicle’s windows and began getting all five dogs out of the heat.
The rescue came at a particularly important moment, too. After veterinarians examined the dogs, police say their body temperatures had reached levels that can be deadly.
Officer Breaks the Window Before Things Get Worse
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The department shared footage of the rescue as part of a reminder about how quickly vehicles can become dangerous for pets. Even when the outdoor temperature doesn’t seem extreme, the inside of a parked car can heat up within minutes.
Leaving the windows cracked doesn’t necessarily solve the problem, either. Dogs also aren’t able to regulate their body temperatures in the same way humans can, making prolonged exposure to extreme heat especially dangerous.
Newport Beach Police did not provide information about how long the five dogs had been inside the vehicle or what happened with their owner afterward. The department instead urged people to leave pets at home on hot days and immediately call for help if they see an animal showing signs of distress inside a vehicle.
The Dogs Were Already Reaching Dangerous Temperatures
Once the dogs were removed, all five were taken for veterinary evaluation. That’s when officers learned their body temperatures weren’t simply elevated but had reached a point police described as potentially deadly.
Fortunately, the Animal Control Officer reached the vehicle before the situation became even worse. The department credited its Animal Control Officers with protecting both the city’s “two- and four-legged residents” when situations become emergencies.
The rescue also serves as a reminder that a slightly opened window doesn’t provide the protection some drivers might think it does. If a pet can’t safely come inside at the destination, leaving it somewhere cooler may be the considerably safer option.
Commenters Wanted To Know What Happened to the Owner
Commenters were overwhelmingly thankful that someone reached the dogs in time, with one person writing, “Thank you for saving these dogs!” Another said Animal Control Officers were “heroes” for stepping in when the animals couldn’t help themselves.
Plenty of people were also angry that the dogs had been left there at all, especially after learning how high their temperatures became. One commenter said it was “crazy people don’t understand” how quickly cars get dangerously hot even with the windows cracked, while another simply asked, “What’s wrong with people?!”
Others immediately wanted to know what happened once the rescue was over, repeatedly asking whether the owner was arrested or faced consequences. One commenter was considerably more interested in the window-breaking portion of the rescue, joking that they had some free time and would happily tag along to “help pop the car windows.”