Police were called to a road in Leeds after passers by spotted a staggering 10 dogs locked inside a small car parked close the skate park.
People passing the area were driven into a state of absolute panic when they noticed a lot of dogs inside a silver VW hatchback sometime between 4pm and 5pm. Temperatures were at least 25C at the time.
A parking ticket discovered on the dashboard of the car, with a timestamp of around 2pm, leading to fears the dogs may have been abandoned in the car for hours. On Facebook, Lola Simms, who was passing by wrote: "There’s a silver VW golf, that’s been left with the windows barely down on Hyde park road, full of dogs. The dogs sounded very distressed when we walked past."
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Another witness, who did not want to be identified said the situation was stressful. She said: "It was quite stressful as we didn’t want to either over or underreact to the situation.
"The windows were slightly open but seeing 10 dogs together makes you worry, and one of them looked a bit hot and sad to be honest! They were all barking quite a lot when they saw people and they did seem pretty hungry."
Sophie Bailo, from Hyde Park, said Good Samaritans bought the dogs some food and the owner said he had gone to the nearby skatepark, and that police arrived soon after. She said: "So me and my boyfriend saw a post on Facebook stating that there were a lot of dogs locked in a car on Hyde park road.
"We saw the pictures and as we live on the same road we came out to have a look and see if we could help. When we arrived the police were already there with a group of around five bystanders.
"The post mentioned that there was a parking ticket on the windscreen which was received at 2pm on that day, which meant the dogs would have been there for at least four hours as it was 6pm. They managed to get into the car and they tried to get in through the drivers side they all started to growl but then the police woman managed to give them some food.
"When the man arrived to his car he was walking away from Hyde Park skatepark with a skateboard in his hands. When the police asked him what was going on they asked him where had he been and he said he was visiting family and was about to take them all on a walk."
West Yorkshire Police say the received a call at 5.37pm and attended the scene. The police say they found a window had been left open and water left inside the car for the animals. No action was taken, and the owner of the dogs received advice.
A spokesperson for the force said: "At 5.37pm yesterday (Tuesday), police received a call relating to the welfare of some dogs which had been left in a car in Hyde Park Road, Leeds. An officer attended and found a window had been opened and water had been left for the animals.
"The owner was spoken to and given words of advice."
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) said it was pleased to see West Yorkshire Police responding to calls about animals in potentially distressing situations and reminded people that animals left in hot cars will lose their lives. A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "As sweltering temperatures continue, it's more important than ever to spread the message that dogs die in hot cars.
"Many people think it will be fine just to leave their pets for a short period of time, but not long is too long. Temperatures can soar to dangerous levels so quickly - and that can put dogs in serious danger.
"If someone sees a dog in distress in a hot car, we urge them to dial 999. It's really positive to see forces like West Yorkshire Police, and others across England and Wales, taking action when dogs need their help in these potentially fatal situations."
The RSPCA has guidance here on what you should do if you see a dog in a hot car.
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