Dog locked in car boot at Mount Maunganui beach Tauranga makes incredible recovery

The puppy has made a remarkable recovery after being found in the boot of a car parked near the beach. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

A puppy that narrowly escaped death after bystanders heard it barking from inside a car's boot has made a "remarkable recovery".

The young shar-pei cross is believed to have been left for more than an hour inside the boot in sweltering heat while its owner went to the beach at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

Bystanders who heard it barking called the police and eventually the puppy was rescued, cooled down under an outdoor shower and taken to the vets.

Mount Maunganui Veterinary Hospital nurse Rebekah van de Pas said the puppy had since made a remarkable recovery.

"As he's a puppy, he is doing really well. It's really good to see."

Mount Maunganui Veterinary Hospital's Dr Eoghan O'Connor with the puppy that has made an incredible recovery after being left in a car boot on a hot day. Photo/Supplied

The puppy has now been taken into the care of Tauranga SPCA where he is expected to continue his recovery. He will eventually be fostered until he's ready to be rehomed.

"It's really amazing how well he's turned around," van de Pas said.

"He's such a happy, playful little puppy. I know a lot of people are outraged by the situation."

Van de Pas said one of the bystanders who helped save the animal had visited the vets to see how it was recovering.

The puppy's owner had been at the beach when police and bystanders tracked him down and got the boot reopened. When the puppy was removed from the car, it was barely conscious and suffering from extreme heat stroke.

Officers and bystanders helped in cooling the puppy down with the shower and ice.

Vet Dr Eoghan O'Connor said the puppy was close to death when it was brought into the clinic shortly after the incident. It was no longer conscious and was having seizures.

An SPCA spokeswoman said it would not comment on the case, because it was running a full animal welfare investigation.