ROCKPORT — Luckily for the dog spotted inside the car in the emergency department parking lot of Pen Bay Medical Center, their owners were able to come back outside and take the dog home before it suffered injury.

Rockport Sgt. Travis Ford was called to the hospital parking lot Monday afternoon for a report of a dog inside a car. Temperatures in the Midcoast are currently around 94 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ford said when he checked on the friendly black Labrador retriever inside the sedan, it appeared to be fine, napping in the shady part of the car. Ford said one window of the car was rolled completely down, and three others were rolled down about 4 inches.

"The people that own the dog were in the ER and when I found the wife, she was about ready to leave and go home anyway," said Ford. "In my estimation, the dog wasn't there long and it was not in danger of dying or being in serious distress."

But Ford said it doesn't take long for things to change for animals, and people, left in cars on hot days.

Ford said that even with the windows down in his cruiser, after turning the air conditioning off it gets hot inside — fast.

"If I turn my AC off and sit in the car, it's almost unbearable within 10 minutes and I'm a sweaty mess," said Ford. "It gets really hot in the car, even with the windows down, and when the car is in a parking lot it's pretty bad. This dog was lucky."

Ford said he has personally responded to three calls for dogs left inside cars over the past couple days of high temperatures. His advice is the same as the advice doled out by local shelters, veterinarians and te ASPCA — leave your dog home on hot days.

The following advice comes from the ASPCA.

Know the warning signs of overheating
Symptoms of overheating in pets include excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or even collapse. They can also include seizures, bloody diarrhea and vomit along with an elevated body temperature of over 104 degrees. Animals with flat faces, like Pugs and Persian cats, are more susceptible to heat stroke since they cannot pant as effectively. These pets, along with the elderly, the overweight, and those with heart or lung diseases, should be kept cool in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible.

No parking
Never leave your animals alone in a parked vehicle. "On a hot day, a parked car can become a furnace in no time-even with the windows open-which could lead to fatal heat stroke," according to Dr. Louise Murray, vice president of ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York.

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Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.