Puppy rescued from locked Audi car boot in Sydney

A puppy which was left in an unventilated car boot at a shopping centre in Sydney’s east has been rescued and returned to its owner, who may face animal cruelty charges.

A member of the public called police about 10am on Saturday after hearing yelps coming from the boot of a vehicle parked in a Bondi Junction shopping centre.

One shopper, posting on Facebook, said she was ‘shocked’ to hear the dog crying and scratching from inside an Audi SUV in centre’s underground car park.

Numerous posts urged her to smash the vehicle’s windows to gain access to the animal but emergency services were already arriving.

The NRMA released the three-month-old female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel which was given water and returned to its owner, who was found a short distance away and spoken to by police.

A formal notification was made to the RSPCA and police are determining if charges will be laid.

The RSPCA confirmed police were in charge of the investigation and warned cars become ovens when left in the sun.

The NRMA released the three-month-old female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel which was given water and returned to its owner (file picture)

‘Many people are not aware that if you leave your dog unattended in the car, even with windows down and in the shade, there’s still a high risk of heat stroke and potentially suffering a worse fate,’ RSPCA chief inspector David O’Shannessy told AAP in a statement.

It only takes six minutes for an animal to die from heatstroke, the statement says.

If a dog suffers as a result of being left in a car, the maximum penalty is $5500 and six-months in prison.

And if a dog dies from being left in a car, the owner can receive a $22,000 fine and a two-year prison sentence.