Traveling with dogs can be a joy, as long as you remember to keep your pet safe.

Last Saturday, with temperatures approaching 90 F, Boothbay Harbor Police Officer Larry Brown received a call about a dog left in a car. When he arrived, Brown found an unhappy shih tzu inside a car parked in the hot sun on Commercial Street. The windows were left partially open, but Brown said the dog was in obvious distress.

Brown unlocked the vehicle, retrieved the pup and brought the dog to the air conditioned police station to cool off. He left a note for the dog’s owner, whose first thought upon return was that her dog had been stolen.

When the distraught owner arrived at the station, she was happy to find a safe and healthy pet. Brown explained how quickly temperature rises in a parked car and told the owner she could be charged with animal cruelty. Brown said it was obvious the woman loved her dog and gave her the option of donating money to an animal shelter instead.

“You can be charged with cruelty to animals in cases like this,” Brown said. “I’ve yet to run into anyone who has done this who didn’t love their dog. People don’t think about how quickly temperature can rise in a parked car.”

The Humane Society of the United States reports that on a hot day, the temperature inside a parked car can climb to over 120 F in a matter of minutes. They encourage anyone who sees a dog left alone in a parked car to report the animal to local police or animal control officers. Heat stressed animals should be quickly removed from the vehicle and responders can use cool, not cold water, to help lower the animal’s body temperature.

Officer Brown encourages pet owners to find a safe alternative to leaving their dog in the car unattended on hot days. And if the risk to your dog’s safety is not enough to motivate you, Brown said you may find yourself answering to the police.

“People do call the police department to report these occurrences, and we do take these calls seriously,” Brown said.