A good Samaritan is being praised online after freeing a dog trapped inside a car on a sweltering day.

This week, the UK has experienced a sweltering heatwave that has seen had its longest stretch of temperatures exceeding 34C since 1961. However, it appears that some irresponsible dog owners are still completely unaware of the dangers these high temperatures can have on their pets.

Fortunately, one quick-thinking stranger was on-hand to potentially save a dog's life after its owner locked it inside a car on a sweltering day in which temperatures hit 34 degrees Celsius, The Sun reports.

Watch the moment the man frees the stranded dog by smashing the car window with an axe:

The footage was recorded and shared to Facebook on August 10 by Samantha Heaver, who captioned her post: "To the d**khead owner of this car and dog owner you irresponsible t**t. Retail park now."

In the video, the man - who has been hailed a "legend" by social media users - can be seen using a huge axe in order tool to break the glass on the front passenger side window.

The Yorkshire terrier can then be seen in panting inside the car in the scorching heat.

The incident occurred at the Newbury Retail Park in Berkshire, England, on Monday afternoon.

Following the window being smashed, police officers - who were on a lunch break at a nearby supermaket - were called over.

The Sun reports that the dog had been locked inside the car for 45 minutes while its owner went shopping with her daughter.

The video has since been viewed on Facebook over 29,000 times, with many commenters praising the man's actions and condemning the irresponsible dog owner.

Many commenters were even offering to buy the good Samaritan a drink.

"I so want to buy the bloke that smashed the window a pint!! What a legend! Thank god there's still sensible people around," wrote one Facebook user.

Another wrote: "Well done to the guy who broke the window. Idiots don’t deserve a dog."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]]

A third commented: "[The owner] doesn't deserve animals! Absolutely ridiculous leaving a dog in a car in this heat, what an absolute moron!! Careless people."

And a fourth added: "I so want to buy the bloke that smashed the window a pint!! What a legend! Thank god there's still sensible people around."

A Thames Valley Police spokesman commented on the incident, saying: "A member of the public did smash a car window to get a dog out of a car.

"Two of our PCSOs attended, the dog was taken by one of the PCSOs for a check over.

"The owner of the vehicle returned and was given advice."

A statement on the RSPCA website warning owners: "Dogs die in hot cars.

"A car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn't feel that warm. When it's 22 degrees, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour."

A good Samaritan is being praised online after freeing a dog trapped inside a car on a sweltering day.

This week, the UK has experienced a sweltering heatwave that has seen had its longest stretch of temperatures exceeding 34C since 1961. However, it appears that some irresponsible dog owners are still completely unaware of the dangers these high temperatures can have on their pets.

Fortunately, one quick-thinking stranger was on-hand to potentially save a dog's life after its owner locked it inside a car on a sweltering day in which temperatures hit 34 degrees Celsius, The Sun reports.

Watch the moment the man frees the stranded dog by smashing the car window with an axe:

The footage was recorded and shared to Facebook on August 10 by Samantha Heaver, who captioned her post: "To the d**khead owner of this car and dog owner you irresponsible t**t. Retail park now."

In the video, the man - who has been hailed a "legend" by social media users - can be seen using a huge axe in order tool to break the glass on the front passenger side window.

The Yorkshire terrier can then be seen in panting inside the car in the scorching heat.

The incident occurred at the Newbury Retail Park in Berkshire, England, on Monday afternoon.

Following the window being smashed, police officers - who were on a lunch break at a nearby supermaket - were called over.

The Sun reports that the dog had been locked inside the car for 45 minutes while its owner went shopping with her daughter.

The video has since been viewed on Facebook over 29,000 times, with many commenters praising the man's actions and condemning the irresponsible dog owner.

Many commenters were even offering to buy the good Samaritan a drink.

"I so want to buy the bloke that smashed the window a pint!! What a legend! Thank god there's still sensible people around," wrote one Facebook user.

Another wrote: "Well done to the guy who broke the window. Idiots don’t deserve a dog."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]] [[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]]

A third commented: "[The owner] doesn't deserve animals! Absolutely ridiculous leaving a dog in a car in this heat, what an absolute moron!! Careless people."

And a fourth added: "I so want to buy the bloke that smashed the window a pint!! What a legend! Thank god there's still sensible people around."

A Thames Valley Police spokesman commented on the incident, saying: "A member of the public did smash a car window to get a dog out of a car.

"Two of our PCSOs attended, the dog was taken by one of the PCSOs for a check over.

"The owner of the vehicle returned and was given advice."

A statement on the RSPCA website warning owners: "Dogs die in hot cars.

"A car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn't feel that warm. When it's 22 degrees, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour."