“Temperatures can rise really quickly when animals are enclosed in a vehicle,” said Nina Stively, the director of Loudoun County Animal Services.

Its office is warning the public of the dangers of leaving animals in the car after two dogs died in a vehicle after being left there for an extended period of time.

Manuel Ovando, 34, is alleged to have left “Charlito” and “Bella,” two mixed-breed dogs, ages 3 and 5, in an unattended vehicle in June, on a day when temperatures exceeded 80 degrees outdoors, according to Loudoun County Animal Services.

Ovando has been charged with a Class 6 felony for the deaths of the two dogs. Conviction is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500, according to the office.

“Tragically, they were not able to recover from the heat exposure. Their body temperatures were extremely high,” Stively said.

Dog temperatures can skyrocket

Animals should not be left inside of a car unattended, especially in extreme temperatures, she said.

“When temperatures are 80 degrees and sunny, (the dogs’ temperatures) can get up to 120 degrees in truly a matter of minutes,” she said.

And simply cracking the windows won’t help much.

“If those windows are not fully opened, and even if they are open, the windshield often acts like a magnifying glass and will get the inside of a vehicle extremely hot very quickly,” she said.

If you see animals in a car unattended, what should you do?

“If you observe a pet in a vehicle, say, at a shopping center, your first step should be to go into that shopping center, go into the store, ask them to page the owner of the vehicle, and say, ‘You need to get back out to your vehicle. Your pet is in an unsafe situation,'” Stively said.

“If that is not immediately resolved, please call local authorities and try to do your best to get somebody there to make sure that animal is safe.”