Dog found in hot car surrounded by frozen foods

Officials were left stunned when they found a dog inside a hot car parked at the Living Desert in Palm Desert Thursday afternoon. The dog was in a crate that was filled with frozen foods, like burritos, drumsticks and ice cream.

A Palm Desert Police Officer assisted Animal Services Officer Daniel Mora by opening the vehicle to retrieve the dog.

Miraculously, the dog was not overheated, but officials said the items in the crate were lukewarm. The panting dog was placed in Officer Mora's cab so it could receive his truck’s air conditioning at full blast as it was taken to the the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms for a veterinary examination.

Officer Mora left an official notice on the vehicle’s windshield. The owner will be cited for 597.7 (as) – animal unattended in motor vehicle. The citation carries a fine of $100, but the penalties could get worse if the dog was harmed.

Officials with the Department of Animal Services reminded the public that it is not safe to leave any animal in a car especially when it is hot.

“It’s not a laughing matter if the pet suffered or, even worse, perished from being left in a car for who knows how long,” said Animal Services Director Julie Bank. “Our advice is always to leave your pet at home when running errands or visiting attractions.

Weather sensors show that it was 89 degrees outside at the time the dog was found. An infrared thermometer measured the temperature inside the car at 104 degrees.

As our First Alert Chief Meteorologist Haley Clawson pointed out, temperatures inside a car increase tremendously over the course of an hour.

In some situations, the temperature can increase by around 40 degrees in an hour.

Cracking a window doesn't help either.

Police have said not to leave your dog in a car when temperatures are above 75 degrees.

According to Phys.org, when a dog's internal temperature reaches 111.2°F, its circulation will fail, which causes kidney failure, lack of oxygen in the brain, and internal bleeding

The ASPCA said it's important to be able to recognize the symptoms of overheating in pets:

• Excessive panting or difficulty breathing 
•  Increased heart and respiratory rate 
• Drooling
• Mild weakness 
• Stupor 
• Collapse
• Seizures
• Bloody diarrhea
• Vomit

If you see a dog inside a hot car displaying signs of overheating, contact authorities or see if you can find the someone to get ahold of the owner.

While it is legal in California to break a car window if you see an animal in imminent danger. According to AnimalLaw.org, a person who removes an animal from a vehicle is not criminally liable for actions taken reasonably and in good faith if the person does all of the following:

• (A) Determines the vehicle is locked or there is otherwise no reasonable manner for the animal to be removed from the vehicle.
• (B) Has a good faith belief that forcible entry into the vehicle is necessary because the animal is in imminent danger of suffering harm if it is not immediately removed from the vehicle, and, based upon the circumstances known to the person at the time, the belief is a reasonable one.
• (C) Has contacted a local law enforcement agency, the fire department, animal control, or the “911” emergency service prior to forcibly entering the vehicle.
• (D) Remains with the animal in a safe location, out of the elements but reasonably close to the vehicle, until a peace officer, humane officer, animal control officer, or another emergency responder arrives.
• (E) Used no more force to enter the vehicle and remove the animal from the vehicle than was necessary under the circumstances.
• (F) Immediately turns the animal over to a representative from law enforcement, animal control, or another emergency responder who responds to the scene.