Authorities have dropped the charges filed against a Georgia military veteran who smashed a window to get a dog out of a hot car.

Michael Hammons of Athens, Georgia was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing after he allegedly smashed the car’s window to get to a Pomeranian mix that was in distress while its owner was inside a store.

People on the scene said that a group of shoppers had gathered around the car to wait for police to free the dog when Mr Hammons broke the window.

When the police arrived, the driver of the Mustang had officers arrest Mr Hammons. The driver was cited for leaving the dog inside a hot car.

It is legal in Georgia for a bystander to break a car’s window to free a child from a hot car, but the state does not have a law that allows the same for dogs.

After receiving backlash, authorities – with the approval of the car’s owner – dropped charges against Mr Hammons, according to the local NBC affiliate. A local Ford dealership also offered to repair the broken window for free.