Nottinghamshire police plea to dog owners after rescue

Police in Nottinghamshire are urging dog owners not to leave their animals trapped in hot vehicles after officers had to force open a car door window to rescue a distressed pet in Edwinstowe.
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Stock picture.

Officers were made aware of a husky-type dog panting very heavily inside a car with its four windows left only slightly ajar at Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre car park on Easter Sunday afternoon.

They tried to contact the vehicle owner but initially without success.

It wasn't known how long the dog had been trapped inside.

Officers managed to force a window open and give the dog some water.

They managed to open the boot and get the dog out.

Chief Inspector Annie Reavley, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "It takes less than an hour for the temperature inside a car, even with a window open, to more than double when it's 22C outside. This could prove fatal to the dog even if a window is slightly open.

"In this instance we had to force open one of the car windows to rescue the dog. Luckily it was able to return home with its owners safe and well but if we hadn't been made aware the consequences could have been far more serious. Heatstroke can be fatal to dogs.

"As people continue to enjoy the Easter Bank Holiday, we just want to remind dog owners of the dangers of leaving their animals trapped inside hot cars - even for a few minutes. Temperatures inside vehicles can rise rapidly, which can make dogs very distressed."