A dog rescued from a hot car parked on a Manhattan street has been adopted by one of the NYPD police officers who assisted in the recue. The ASPCA believes the dog had been trapped inside the car for at least 24 hours. That dog, now named “Snow,” found its way into the heart—and home—of Officer Aruna Maharaj. How could she not fall in love with the beautiful fluffy dog, who struggled so bravely during its one-month recovery?

A representative of the American Society said that the American Eskimo dog was brought by the officer rescuers to the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center, located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Once there, Snow was given medical treatment and behavioral therapy, until he was at last, deemed ready for adoption.

Citizens Call—Dog Rescued

The rescue was tweeted live from the NYPD 19^th Precinct’s twitter account. Police had received calls from concerned New Yorkers, alerting them to Snow’s plight. The responding police offers saw that the windows were closed, the car off, and that there was no owner in sight. The dog was trapped inside, distressed and in a life-threatening state.

While the police tweeted that the dog had been locked inside the car for two hours, the ASPCA later said the dog had been trapped for at least a full 24 hours.

Hot car, hot dog rescue—thanks to caring NYers who saw this pup locked in a car for over 2 hours & called 911!

Our cops responded discovering the car off, windows shut & distressed dog. They broke the window, got pup out & off to a vet for care. Criminal investigation continues. pic.twitter.com/B5MdVT6UUe

— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) June 18, 2022

By breaking through one of the car windows, the officers were able to open the door and rescue the pup. New York law prohibits leaving an animal unattended in a car. A criminal investigation is underway.

Animals Left in Cars—What to Know

If you have a beloved pet, you’ll want to keep the following facts in mind about animals and cars:

• On an 85° day, it takes only 10 minutes for the inside of a car to reach 102°, a temperature fatal to dogs and other animals.
• A car can heat to life-threatening temperatures, even with the window open by an inch or even two.
• The temperature inside a parked car can rise to 20° hotter beyond the temperature outside.
• A pet left behind in a parked car is at high risk for a fatal heat stroke.
• In many states, it is illegal to leave a pet inside a parked car.

Signs that an animal is overheated include:

• Heavy panting
• Short of breath
• Bright red gums
• Heart and breathing rates increase
• Drooling
• Mild weakness
• Stupor
• Seizure
• Bloody diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Elevated body temperature above 104°
• Collapse

This pup will never be neglected again!

A month ago, this sweet doggo was rescued after his owner left him in his hot locked car for hours; yesterday, one of it’s rescuers, Officer Maharaj, adopted him! Thank you @ASPCA for taking such good care of this lucky pup! pic.twitter.com/F3dbH8TmV1

— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) July 27, 2022

Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition which can permanently damage the health of your pet, and may even lead to death. If you believe your dog is affected by heat stroke, the first thing to do is remove the animal from hot conditions, and take it somewhere cool, for example an air-conditioned room. In very hot weather, it’s best to keep pets indoors, as much as possible. When walking pets in hot weather, keep in mind that hot asphalt can burn their paw pads and don’t allow the dog to linger in one place for any length of time. Pets, being close to the ground, can overheat quickly from the hot asphalt.