Firefighters were called in to rescue a dog from a pickup truck in the parking lot at Vaughan Mills as the temperature hit 30 C on Monday afternoon.
Someone called 911 after spotting the dog in a vehicle outside the shopping centre at about 3 p.m.
Vaughan firefighters freed the dog from the truck and provided oxygen to the animal, although it appeared to be OK, according to a fire department spokesperson.
The dog’s owner returned to the car a short time later.
York Regional Police said the dog’s owner left a water dish in the vehicle and left three windows open.
The dog was not reported to be in distress.
Firefighters and police officers in the Greater Toronto Area have received multiple reports in recent weeks of animals being left in vehicles in hot weather.
Many pets die every year as a result of being left in parked cars during warm weather, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) says.
Temperatures inside a parked car, even with the windows open and in the shade, can rapidly reach very dangerous levels, even on a relatively mild summer day, the agency says on its website.
Because dogs have a limited ability to sweat, even a short time in a hot environment can be life threatening.
