LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department said that it's regularly responding to calls about dogs that have been left in vehicles during the hot summer weather, despite the warnings it's issued about the dangers hot vehicle interiors pose to pets.

The latest case involving dogs in distress occurred on Wednesday, the agency said.

At about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday the Lakeport Police Department responded to a call on South Main Street regarding three dogs left in a hot car.

When the officer arrived a citizen had already broken into the car and released the dogs, which were overheated, police said.

The agency said the investigation revealed that the dogs had been in the car for around 20 minutes with no access to water, and with the windows barely cracked. The outside temperature at the time of this incident was 102 degrees.

The California Penal Code makes it a crime to leave an animal confined “in any unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well being of an animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water, or other circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability, or death to the animal.”

The first offense is a $100 fine, or a $500 fine or six months in the county jail if the animal suffered injuries.

The department said it issued a criminal citation to the owner of the dogs and the case will be sent to the Lake County California District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

“We get calls for dogs left in hot cars on a regular basis. Report these violations to law enforcement or animal control,” the department said.

Lake County Animal Care and Control reported in a social media post that car interiors heat up very quickly. On hot days, temperatures can climb to 120 degrees or more inside of a vehicle.

Authorities urge people to leave their pets at home in safe conditions rather than taking them out in the hot weather.