CUMMING — Cumming police officers were a dog’s best friend after they recently made sure the owner of a pet locked in a vehicle that reached 135 degrees was accounted for.

Officers monitored the pickup truck in the Kohl’s parking lot starting about 1:30 p.m. July 30. While the vehicle was turned off and the owner was not immediately found, the windows were “cracked slightly.”

The high that day reached 94 degrees, according to weather reports.

When the officers determined the driver of the vehicle was being watched by Kohl’s loss prevention team for potential shoplifting activities, they reportedly decided to wait for him to leave.

After about 30 minutes, units from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Animal Control Center arrived.

“By now, you could tell that the vehicle was getting even hotter and the dog was starting to feel the heat,” according to police reports.

After an hour, the temperature registered about 135 degrees with a Forsyth County Fire Department heat gun, the report said, so officers prepared to enter the store to find the dog’s owner.

However, the man came out before that could happen. He was cited for leaving his dog in the vehicle. No evidence of shoplifting was found.