In the midst of a continuing heat wave in Western Washington, someone decided to leave their small dog inside of their baking hot parked car. Police in Tukwila were alerted the deadly situation and didn’t hesitate to bust out one of the car’s windows to save the dog who was trapped inside.

The Department blasted the owners for their thoughtless decision in a Facebook post on Sunday:

It is absolutely unacceptable to leave any animal or child in your car unattended! Especially when it is hot outside. We just rescued a dog in distress from a vehicle that had the windows up on an 88° day.

The dog who was left inside had been suffering for at least 30 minutes – possibly longer. The Department added:

The dog was in visible distress. We were able to extract the dog, provide it with water and cool it off in our air conditioned patrol car. Thankfully this incident did not end in tragedy.

Stern words of warning and a promise to take action were delivered by the authorities:

So again, DO NOT leave your pets unattended in your vehicle during the warmer months. We WILL break your car window and rescue the dog and you will be penalized for leaving your dog in a hot car.

“An animal control officer, law enforcement officer, or the department or agency employing such an officer is not liable for any damage to property resulting from actions taken.”

https://www.facebook.com/TukwilaPD/videos/1819244401658464/