At the height of summer, Ben Lakomy and his team of SPCA welfare inspectors may receive up to six calls a day for dogs trapped in hot cars.
"A majority of the people we deal with are good people, good animal owners. It's just that dogs and hot cars catches people out."
He says many owners don't understand just how quickly a situation can turn badly when leaving a dog unattended in a vehicle.
On a typical 21 degree day, a car can heat up by 10 degrees in as little as 10 minutes, and can easily top 40 degrees if left for half an hour.
He talked to 1News while catching up with a dog that was rescued from a car that measured 43 degrees just a few weeks earlier.
"We had a call about her being locked inside the car for about an hour. She was in a lot of distress. After we took this girl out of the car and got her safe, the owner actually turned up. Didn't have a very good excuse of why she'd left the dog in the car with all of the windows up."
Rarely does he get an opportunity to catch up with previous rescues, due to the busy nature of the role.
"It's important to take the time and go and spend a bit of time with the animals you've dealt with because it reminds you a lot of why you do the job. I've been doing the job for a good 17 years now and it never gets old being able to take a dog or animal in great need, away from a bad situation."
Even though that will often mean he and his team receive verbal and physical abuse from frustrated and angry pet owners.
"There's even been occasions where I would go as far as to say I've saved a dog's life by taking them out of a vehicle, and the owner's turned up not long after, or responded to a notice, and you still get abused for what you've done."
A female inspector in the South Island was recently punched in the face while on the job, and so it's not uncommon for them to coordinate with police for certain jobs.
2022 was a bad year for New Zealanders when it came to dogs left in cars.
The SPCA received a record 920 welfare complaints for trapped dogs in 2022, up from 625 the year before, a near 50% jump.
They say it's in part due to more reporting of cases, but a lack of education remains among.
Lakomy says many owners think that leaving a window wound down is enough, but that many cars are fitted with rain guards that often cover those gaps and restrict airflow. Leaving water in the car is also strongly advised, but not often done.
Most callouts for dogs in cars end in constructive conversations with owners, but can sting owners with a $300 infringement notice.
In extreme cases, where an animal's welfare is at risk, inspectors have the powers to break into cars and take animals into their custody.
Although space for adult dogs is at a premium back at base.
"We only have limited space, so SPCA (centres) up and down the country are desperate for people that would be able to foster puppies, open up their home for a few weeks, or couple of months, sometimes longer if animals are sick or injured, so that we can get them all fit for adoption."
He also warns owners at this time of year, when many go away on holidays without their family pet, to put relevant care measures in place.
"I dealt with a job where some dogs had been left for five days with no one caring for them. Another case there was a young three month old puppy only being checked on every second day. So it's really important that if you're going to take an animal on, you're able to make suitable arrangements when you do go away, not just food and water, but the attention they need as well."
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