MACON, Ga. — As it gets warmer outside, it's getting even warmer in our cars.
With temperatures rising, doctors warn it's extremely dangerous to leave children and pets in the car.
The recent death of a Monroe County K-9 officer drove that point home once again.
"If you take a regular 80-degree day here, the temperature in the car could rise 20 degrees in the first 10 minutes, 30 degrees in the first 20 minutes," Dr. Brandon Kirshner with Coliseum Medical Centers said.
Dr. Kirshner says the 10 minutes you spend running errands while your child or pet are in the car could turn tragic.
"Especially in the Middle Georgia heat, damage to someone's brain whether it be a child or pet could happen pretty quickly in a car. Whether it's 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, the damage can be done rather quickly," Kirshner said.
"Once a car becomes 104 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes unsafe," Dujuan Harris, safety educator with the Macon-Bibb Fire Department, said.
Harris says when the car hits that 104 degree mark, the chances or your child or pet having a heat stroke is high.
"A lot of people don't realize that heat strokes can cause a lot of brain damage and other organs to shut down also," Harris said.
Morgan Cannard is a proud dog mom to Stella and Gracie. She says she rarely leaves her dogs in the car.
"Just imagine how you'd feel going out to the park or a ballgame and you're already starting to perspire. What about our four-legged friends with a full coat? How do you imagine they feel?" Cannard said.
Cannard says she wants pet owners to think twice, before they leave their furry friends in the car.
"They look to us. They can't tell us when they're too hot, so they look to us to take care of them, and it's extremely irresponsible," Cannard said.
Harris says if you are in a situation where you see a child or pet locked in a car, call 911 immediately and to refrain from breaking the car windows.