Dog rescued from searing hot car in Devon: RSPCA issues plea

A dog had to be rescued from a car parked up at a beach in Exmouth, Devon, after it was left alone as temperatures soared to over 30C.

Onlookers said the dog was barking and yelping, and even set off the car alarm in its frantic attempts to escape the vehicle, where it had been for about an hour.

A dog warden called police to the scene at around 1.15pm on Friday.

A police officer smashed the back window, and the dog was calmed with wet towels before it was taken out.

But eyewitness Richard Benford said the dog was extremely agitated, telling the Daily Mail: "The dog was clearly distressed and hard to handle. They put wet towels on it before it was calm enough to push through the window.

"It was clearly traumatised and went out of control. It was shocking."

A crowd of around 40 people applauded and cheered when the dog was freed safely. After a traumatising rescue, the dog later relaxed and appeared to have no lasting damage.

A police spokesman said the RSPCA had been informed about the incident.

Meanwhile, according to the Western Morning News, the RSPCA are urging to people not to leave animals in cars during hot weather. The animal charity claims that even when it is 22C (72F) outside, the temperature inside a car can climb to 47C (117F) within an hour.

A similar incident recently occurred in Wells, Somerset, when three dogs had to be rescued from a cage in a Suzuki 4x4 parked in a bus station for more than an hour.

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