In Roswell, Georgia, officers and firefighters found two small dogs shut inside a hot car over 4th of July weekend. The officers were called to the parking lot of Studio Movie Grill by a concerned passerby whose intervention probably saved the animals’ lives. At the very height of the afternoon heat, despite the windows of the car being marginally open, the temperature inside the vehicle measured by the officers was 167 degrees. The dogs had been in the car for over an hour – while their caretaker and her family sat in the air-conditioned movie theater…

In the unbearably heated car, one of the dogs was barking and whining feverishly, the temperature making him terrified and aggressive, while the other was taking refuge under the front seat, trying to escape the sunlight, as the car was parked in an area with no shade. When the first dog was taken out of the car using a catch pole, he suffered a heat-related seizure. The firefighters were cooling him down with water when the person responsible for the dogs finally arrived, asking what had happened. She admitted she had not checked on the dogs.

“I think that we got here just in time to save these animals’ lives,” stated one of the officers. Both dogs were taken to an emergency veterinary hospital, treated, and since released. They are in the care of Fulton Animal Control. The woman was charged with two counts of animal cruelty.

Roswell Police Department published the video of the rescue action on their Facebook page together with a message: “Help us spread the word about the dangers of leaving pets inside of a hot vehicle. If you see an animal trapped inside of a hot car, call 9-1-1, so that a tragedy can be avoided.”