Animal control officers free dog locked in hot car in Newport Beach

A window was smashed by animal control officers in Newport Beach after a dog was found inside a hot car with the doors locked and the windows rolled up.

The dog was found Thursday afternoon at a Newport Beach shopping center.

Animal control officers were called to the scene and found the dog inside the locked vehicle panting heavily.

“Despite using all available resources to locate the vehicle’s owner, including searching throughout the shopping center, officers were unable to find the owner,” the Newport Beach Police Department said in a post to social media.

Officers broke a window on the vehicle to free the dog and provide it with medical care.

It’s unclear if the owner was ever tracked down or cited, or if the dog was impounded.

Although not feeling the same scorching temperatures as some inland cities and valleys, Newport Beach experienced temperatures in the low-90s Thursday. Temperatures soared to the triple-digits on Friday.

Temperatures across the Southland have hovered in the mid-90s in some coastal enclaves and the high 100s in some valleys and mountain communities in one of the year’s most brutal heat waves.

When pets or children are left inside locked vehicles, internal temperatures can often measure 30 degrees higher (or more) than outside.

“Never leave animals unattended in vehicles, even for a short time, as it can quickly become dangerous or even life-threatening,” police said.

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