Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that two dogs died inside hot cars. They died due to heat-related incidents. The story has been corrected.

Two dogs died in the District over the past week after heat-related incidents and another dog and cat were rescued from hot cars after being left alone, according to officials with the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington.

In one case, a dog died after it was reportedly running off a leash in Rock Creek Park for an “extended period of time,” and the heat appears to have contributed to its death, according to Matt Williams, a spokesman for the rescue alliance. In the other case, he said a dog died after it was kept in a yard in Northeast Washington on a warm day and didn’t have proper shelter, which Williams said was a factor in its death.

Williams said both deaths “could have been avoided if the owners had been more aware of the heat.” He said both were examples of “how quickly things can go badly in the heat.”

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In two other cases, animals were rescued after being left alone in hot cars, humane rescue officials said. In one of those cases, a cat was left in a car in which the temperature rose to 107 degrees. In the other case, a dog was found left alone in a hot car before it was rescued.

Every year, hundreds of pets die of heat exhaustion because they are left in hot cars, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“With the early hot days that [the District] has experienced, pet owners need to be reminded that cats and dogs must be shielded from the heat when outside and absolutely should not be left alone in cars,” said Zita Macinanti of the humane rescue alliance’s law enforcement unit.

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She said temperatures can rise quickly, even when it seems pleasant outside. “It does not take long for heat stroke to take place” for animals, she said.

An outside temperature may be at 72 degrees, experts said, but inside a vehicle it can reach up to 116 degrees within an hour.

They also warned that rolling down windows has “shown to have little effect on the temperature inside a car.”

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Older animals and those with illness are more susceptible to problems, Macinanti said.

Animal experts recommend these tips for pet owners:

●Never leave pets alone in a parked vehicle.

●Walk your pets early in the morning and avoid the hottest part of the day.

●Keep pets inside when temperatures are extreme.

●Take pets to shaded spots when they are outside in the heat.

●Give pets plenty of water so they stay hydrated.

●Remember dogs have sensitive paws and when walking on asphalt in the heat their bodies are closer to the heated surface so they can overheat more easily.

Experts said that some signs of an overheated animal include excessive panting, drooling, struggling to walk or looking lethargic.

Anyone who thinks an animal is in distress because of heat is advised to immediately call a veterinarian.