While the Wareham Department of Natural Resources is turning up the heat on dog owners, some are still ignoring the law. On Thursday, officers fined one owner $150 after leaving two pets inside a car that had risen to 97 degrees for 40 minutes.

Officers reported the dog was panting heavily, “but not showing extreme signs of distress.”

The dog was left near 15 Gault Road in a shopping plaza parking lot when a good Samaritan notified authorities. Responding officers took a temperature reading of the car’s interior, which registered 97 degrees, and the surface temperature of the dogs, which registered 101 degrees.

Soon after the temperatures were taken the owner returned to the car.

Authorities warned dog owners that they will be fined for breaking the law if they leave pets in hot cars. Under a law signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in 2016, there are penalties for those who leave pets in hot cars.

The law provides protection for a person breaking in to a car to save the pet. However, car doors must be checked first and an effort must be made to contact authorities.

“This is a very serious issue and we continue to see this same practice by pet owners no matter how much we try to push awareness,” according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. “The Wareham Department of Natural Resources is committed to a zero tolerance policy for animals left in vehicles under these conditions and you will be held accountable for your actions.”