Dog locked in car amid scorching temperatures is rescued in Riverside

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Riverside officers rescued a dog that was locked in a hot car amid scorching Southern California temperatures on Tuesday.

"I made the decision right away that the window needed to be broken right away because we needed to get that dog out," said Riverside Police Officer Katie Mendonca.

It was around 10:30 a.m. that someone called 911 to report the dog in a car with the windows barely cracked. It was parked on Main Street near the courthouses in downtown Riverside.

"Had that dog been in there for another 15, 20 minutes, that dog very easily could have died," Mendonca said.

An Animal Services officer used an infrared device to get a temperature from the car. The temperature recorded was 109.6.

"Leaving windows partially open is not going to alleviate the rising temperature inside vehicles," warned Animal Services Commander Chris Mayer in a press release. "A dog's life can be put in jeopardy when they're left in hot cars. It's dangerous, cruel - and it's a crime."

A Riverside officer smashed the passenger side window. The dog was retrieved and given water before being rushed to an animal shelter. The pit bull mix had an internal temperature of 104 degrees, officials said. The dog remains in the care of staff at the county's shelter in Jurupa Valley and is doing better.

Police cited the vehicle owner for leaving a pet inside a closed vehicle in dangerous conditions.

A similar incident involving another dog was reported in San Bernardino.

Even though it's only the second week of June, it feels more like the middle of August. Some residents called the conditions "brutal."

As for a farmers market in Banning, the triple-digit heat wasn't nearly enough for them to cancel.

The location, the parking lot of San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital, can be convenient on a day like this. The emergency room is right around the corner for anyone who suffers from heat exhaustion.

The heat wave in Southern California will ease just a bit on Wednesday, with some morning clouds and temperatures in the 80s and 90s.