A dog has died after being forgotten in a hot, stuffy car for seven hours by a Dubai-based pet daycare centre.

Kareem Kerry, 32, said he left his husky called Albi, aged 2, in the care of a Dubai-based animal company while he and his partner Lauren, 27, went to work.

The dog handlers picked up Albi from the couple’s plush home at Jumeirah Lakes Towers.

Although the couple opted to not take legal action against the company due to their past relationship, they said they wanted to share Albi’s story so others could learn about the dangers of leaving animals in hot cars.

Kareem, a restaurant manager from Trinidad, said: “To get the call that our dog was dead was just a horrendous experience.

“My wife was on her way to work at the time when she took the call. She was devastated, just broken.

“On the phone, the handler was trying to tell us what happened but all he could say was that he had just killed Albi. He was quite upset.”

The company sent the couple a letter explaining the events leading up to Albi’s death.

According to Kareem, the company said they collected the dog about 7am on 12th July, when the temperature in Dubai was already exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.

The handler said he started to feel ill and forgot about Albi when he arrived back at the kennels.

However, no one noticed the dog was not around until around seven hours later when it was missing from the photo register the company sends to clients to let them know their pets are safe.

By the time staff members got to the car, Albi was already lifeless on the back seat.

Dogs lose body heat by panting and when that fails, their body temperature rises and causes heatstroke.

As well as panting, other symptoms of overheating include vomiting, reddened gums, drooling, diarrhoea, dizziness or collapse.

Local veterinarian Dr Aylott said: “It should be remembered a dog can suffer heatstroke within just a few minutes and that can lead to cardiac arrest, so time is of the essence.

“These cases should be considered an emergency and acted upon accordingly if an animal is in distress.”