Firefighters were called to a carpark in Mundy Street, central Bendigo on Wednesday to free a small dog locked in a car.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Two people called emergency services after noticing the beagle had been in the car for two hours.
Firefighters found the windows of the car wound down a couple of centimetres when they arrived at the scene.
Station officer Hugh Kelly said it was not right to leave a pet in a vehicle for so long.
"Animals need to be treated like children and we need to make sure they're not left in cars on a hot day," he said.
"They become quickly dehydrated and have health issues quickly, the same as humans."
Firefighters said the dog, named "Sundee", was dozing in the car but became shaky and scared when they took her out. She calmed down after a pat, some water and a run. Firefighters called the owner and waited until they arrived.
Bendigo Animal Welfare and Community Services' Debbie Edwards said it was good that members of the community kept an eye on the dog.
"If you’re going out and you know you're going to have your car unattended for that period of time you really need to leave your dog at home," Ms Edwards said.
"One hopes when the owners are spoken to, they do recognise what they have done."