As temperatures tick up across California, pet owners could be putting their animal companions in danger.

Temperatures inside a car can rise quickly on a hot day, leaving dogs, cats and other animals at risk of heat stroke or death if left alone without adequate airflow.

Is it illegal to leave your pet locked inside a vehicle on a warm summer day? Are you allowed to break into a car to free an animal in trouble?

Here’s what to know:A dog sits inside a car on the backseat. In California, it’s illegal to leave or confine any animal alone in a car if it’s too hot and the animal could be in danger. aerogondo/Getty Images Is it illegal to leave a dog in a locked car?

In California, it’s against the law to leave or confine any animal — including a dog, cat, bird, guinea pig or rabbit — alone in a car if it’s too hot and the animal could be in danger.

The same rule applies to temperatures that are too cold, as well as vehicle conditions that lack proper ventilation, food, water or any other circumstance that causes the animal “suffering, disability or death,” California’s Penal Code says.An Olympia Police officer holds a small puppy that was rescued from a hot car parked outside Capital Mall on Aug. 4, 2024. Courtesy of The Olympia Police Department What are penalties for leaving a pet in a hot car?

Leaving a dog or another animal in a hot car is considered malicious mischief, according to California’s Penal Code.

It’s a misdemeanor offense.

First-time violators could receive a fine of up to $100 per animal if the pet does not suffer “great bodily injury,” according to California law.

Pet owners face a maximum fine of $500 and up to six months in county jail if the pet dies or sustains a significant physical injury while left unattended in the vehicle. Can I break into a vehicle to help a trapped animal?

If you witness a pet stuck in an empty car under conditions that could endanger their health, it’s your legal right to step in and help them.

As long as you have a “reasonable belief that the animal’s safety is in immediate danger,” you are allowed to break into the vehicle and remove the animal, according to California law.

Under California law, you won’t be held criminally liable for removing an animal from a vehicle if you: * Determined the car was locked * Believed forcible entry into the vehicle was necessary because the animal was suffering or in “imminent danger” *

Contacted law enforcement, the fire department, emergency services or animal control before breaking into the car*

Used no more force than necessary to retrieve the animal from the vehicle* Stayed with the animal in a safe location until law enforcement or emergency responders arrived * Immediately handed the animal over to authorities or animal control when they arrived at the scene Olivia and Tanner Keller walk their dog Rory near their home in Lincoln on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. They moved to Lincoln in July, a city with abundant parks and trails. Lincoln has a city policy that new housing projects must set aside 40% of the land to open space. Hector Amezcua/hamezcua@sacbee.com How hot is too hot for dogs?

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, outside temperatures of around 70 degrees can heat the inside of a car to more than 110 degrees within an hour.

Even after 10 minutes, the temperature inside a car can rise about 20 degrees higher than the outside temperature, the association said.

Dogs start to experience heat exhaustion when their body temperature is above 101.5 degrees and suffer from heat stroke when their internal temperature is higher than 105 degrees, according to the American Kennel Club.

“Heat stroke usually occurs when high ambient temperature overcomes the dog’s ability to dissipate heat,” Dr. Jerry Klein, the chief veterinary officer for the American Kennel Club, said on the club’s website. “The degree of damage is determined by how high a body temperature is reached and how long the animal is exposed.”

Dogs don’t sweat across their entire body like humans because their bodies are covered in fur.

Instead, they sweat mainly through merocrine glands located in their paw pads, according to the American Kennel Club.

Dogs also pant to regulate their body temperature. However, none of these bodily functions are as effective in cooling dogs down as sweating is for humans.