COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — A dog trapped inside a dangerously hot vehicle was rescued by Commerce City police officers this week after concerned citizens called for help.

With outside temperatures around 80 degrees, officers arrived at a shopping center parking lot and found the dog panting inside a locked car. Their thermometer showed the interior had reached a sweltering 115 degrees.

Officers used a catch pole to unlock the door through a barely cracked window, avoiding the need to break the glass.

“Don’t leave your dog inside a boiling hot car,” the department warned in a Facebook post. “We won’t hesitate to smash your windows to save a life.”

Officials remind the public that even mild weather can create life-threatening conditions inside parked vehicles.

Source: Commerce City Police Department