A dog that was locked in a van in 79-degree heat at the Bray Groove festival had to be rescued by the County Wicklow gardai (police).

The dog was found in the back of the van despite warnings by the police during the heatwave to not leave pets left in locked cars.

This little fella was left locked in the back of a van today in 26 degree heat at the Bray groove festival. Gardaí managed to get into the van and rescue the dog. Please don’t leave animals locked in vehicles on hot days. pic.twitter.com/A3KIM1LF93

— Garda Info (@gardainfo) July 8, 2018

The Garda tweeted: “This little fella was left locked in the back of a van today in 26-degree heat at the Bray groove festival. Gardai managed to get into the van and rescue the dog. Please don’t leave animals locked in vehicles on hot days.”

The Irish Blue Cross, which is an animal welfare charity group, expressed: “There really is no excuse for this. Such irresponsible behavior.”

Fair play, today we had to remove 2 dogs locked in cars!!!

— DSPCA (@DublinSPCA) July 8, 2018

The problem was echoed by the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who stated in a tweet that they had rescued two dogs locked in cars on Sunday.

Individual Twitter users were also outraged by the incident, with one man stating: “In this warm weather, it is never ok to leave a dog in a vehicle.”

In this warm weather, it is NEVER ok to leave a dog in a vehicle. At the Groove Festival in Bray last weekend, a dog had to be removed from the... https://t.co/PCgAEoYWxN

— Pete Wedderburn (@petethevet) July 9, 2018

Actor Rory Cowan of the show Mrs. Brown’s Boys did not hold back his anger at the incident, writing: “Well I hope he’s not returned to the people who locked him in the van. In fact, I hope the Gardai did so much damage to the van when they were rescuing the dog.”

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Well I hope he’s not returned to the people who locked him in the van. In fact I hope the Gardaí did so much damage to the van when they were rescuing the dog.

— Rory Cowan (@1rorycowan) July 8, 2018

The ISPCA (Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) said while speaking to the Irish Independent, “Even if the temperature outside is 22°C (71°F), the inside of a car can reach 47°C (117°F). On a day that is 30°C (86°F) or hotter, the inside of the car can reach fatal temperatures in under ten minutes.

“Dogs, in particular, are at risk because they cool themselves by panting. If the air becomes too hot, they are unable to regulate their body temperatures.”

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