Dog locked in hot car '˜close to death'

A dog came 'close to death' after it was left to overheat in a car while its owner went for lunch in St Annes, say police.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Passerby, Sophie Scott, heard one of the dogs “crying” in distress from a parked Rover at the Sainsbury’s car park on St Andrew’s Road North on Tuesday at 2pm.

Caring Sophie, says with temperatures in her own vehicle at around 24 degrees and concerned for the dogs’ safety, she quickly raised the alarm with nearby police.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She said: “I was in the car park and noticed a dog crying its eyes out.

“I was in my car and it was 24 degrees with the windows down fully. The windows in the dogs’ car were only down part way.

“Me and my colleague decided we couldn’t leave without doing anything and I went into the store to find the owner with the car registration on my phone.

“I spotted two policemen in the store so we got them to go and look.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I then showed the police the car and I stuck around until I saw the dogs pulled out and knew they were in safe hands. The police were fantastic.”

Officers manged to rescue the dogs through a partially open window and they were taken to a local vet for checks.

Police said the owner, a 75-year-old man from Preston, told officers that he “was only going for something to eat and would have been back in a couple of hours.”

Officers are now warning members of the public to leave their dogs at home during the hot weather and to never leave them in a parked vehicle.

The dog owner was given advice and the RSPCA informed.