Owner fined after 2 dogs left in hot car in Wareham

WAREHAM, Mass. — Two dogs were rescued from inside a scorching hot vehicle and their owner cited for leaving them there Tuesday.

Officials said the temperature inside the enclosed vehicle where the dogs were found was 101 to 107 degrees.

Officers from the Wareham Department of Natural Resources said in a Facebook post that they responded to a parking lot in Wareham Crossing for a report of two dogs left in the back of a truck with a cap and no ventilation.

When they arrived, the two officers saw a yellow Labrador retriever and a chocolate Labrador retriever in the back bed of a pickup truck, covered with a cap, according to the post. There was a small vent window open "with considerable heat emanating from the opening."

"The dogs were heavily panting and officers determined that the conditions were not suitable for them," the post said.

Officers quickly got to the dogs through an unlocked glass hatch, and gave the panting dogs water.

The owner received a $150 citation, the maximum penalty allowed by law, officials said.

The dogs did not need medical attention.

"This is an ongoing issue and the temperatures are forecasted to soar this weekend," the post said. "Please, we are begging people and yes we know we sound like a broken record, but don’t leave an animal in these conditions."

Mass. laws on confining animals in hot cars

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