Only the third week of April and the Grand Junction Police Department has already received calls regarding pets left in hot cars. The GJPD issued a statement warning Western Colorado residents to knock it off.

On April 18, the GJPD posted a message on their official Facebook page stating they had received three calls that day alone. According to Accuweather, Grand Junction saw a high of 81 degrees on April 18.

The website AVMA has a chart which calculates the temperature inside a car based on the outside temperature combined with elapsed time. According to the chart, at an outside temperature of 80 degrees, the temperature inside a car would be as follows:

  • After 10 minutes - 99 degrees
  • After 20 minutes - 109 degrees
  • After 30 minutes - 114 degrees

Via their official Facebook page, the Grand Junction Police Department made the following statement.

Never leave your pet in your car, not even if you "just have to run in for a minute." Even with the window cracked, summer temperatures inside your vehicle reach dangerous levels very quickly. If you see a pet in distress, call 9-1-1. - Grand Junction Police Department via Facebook

Please don't leave your pets in the car. Rolling the windows down a little isn't enough. Temperatures climb too high too fast. Messages such as this are sent out all the time, and yet there is always that one person who chooses to ignore them. Like the GJPD said, "Never leave your pet in your car."

More From ESPN Western Colorado