A WELLINGTON woman has warned of the dangers of leaving dogs in cars following the recent bout of sunny weather.

Angela Boyd spotted a ‘small dog’ left in a VW with no windows open in the Waitrose car park in Wellington.

“The dog was in a carrier cage in the back seat of the car which had blackened windows,” she said. “The poor dog was desperately yapping but no-one seemed to take any notice.

“I went to the Waitrose reception and gave them the car registration and they made an announcement over the PA.

“No-one answered the call and so I pushed them to ring the police. I later saw an empty police car in High Street by the Indian restaurant and left a note on the windscreen.

“The outside temperature was about 26c, which was obviously much hotter in the car. I still do not know exactly what happened to the dog – whether he was rescued.

“I just hope people will be more aware of such situations now that the weather is beginning to improve.

“People love their dogs but I think some owners are simply absent minded and don’t really think. I’m sure they would be devastated if their animal were to die in such a way.”

WWN sports reporter Barry Knott says he has experienced three such cases in supermarket car parks in the past year.

“The first thing you should do is to inform the store and see if they can locate the owner,” he said. “I wouldn’t hesitate in breaking the car window if the dog’s owner was not found quickly.

“The car owner wouldn’t be too happy but what is the alternative. Let the dog die a horrible death.”