Every year as the weather gets warmer, Four Paws receives tragic reports of dogs that have died of heat-stroke in cars.

So if you’re driving around East Lancashire, please think very carefully about what you are going to do with your dog.

You should never leave a dog alone in a car. It can get extremely hot in a car on a sunny day, even when it’s not that warm. When it’s just 22°C/72°F outside, the temperature inside a car can soar to 47°C/117°F within one hour.

In a hot car, dogs are not able to cool themselves down as, unlike humans, they pant to keep cool – leaving a window open won’t keep the car at a temperature where panting is effective.

Dogs die in cars. Let’s not let any more dogs die in Lancashire’s cars this year.

Will Wright, Four Paws.