Officers rescue dog from hot car in Livermore

Livermore police rescued a dog from inside a parked car during triple-digit heat last week, the department said Wednesday.

Police received a report at about 11:45 a.m. Thursday about a dog being inside a Jeep parked outside Costco, the department said. It was 101 degrees outside at the time.

The department's animal services officers responded to the scene and found the dog "heavily" panting inside the Jeep. They believe the pup had been sitting in the car for at least one hour.

The car doors were locked, the windows were rolled up and the sunroof was slightly open, police said. Officers took a temperature reading and determined that it was anywhere from 112 to 131 degrees inside the car.

Officers proceeded to break one of the car windows in order to free the dog. He was later examined by a veterinarian and determined to be OK.

"If we would have let this dog inside the car any further, it could have possibly led to death," Livermore police Animal Services Officer Leon said in a statement. "We don’t want to get to that point of having to retrieve a deceased animal because someone was neglectful."

The dog's owner must pay a fine as well as veterinarian and shelter fees, police said.