Urgent: PETA Warns That Dogs May Die in Heat Wave in Virginia—Vital Tips Here

For Immediate Release:
August 25, 2021

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

This week’s scorching temperatures—expected to reach the upper 90s in the Richmond area—will put dogs at high risk of enduring heat prostration and dying, so PETA is issuing an urgent warning to anyone with a dog. Please be sure to do the following:

• Touch the pavement before walks to ensure that it won’t burn dogs’ foot pads.
• Be alert to a long, curled-up tongue and heavy panting, as dogs cannot sweat as humans can and heat builds up inside their bodies.
• Walk only in the shade or on earth or grass, and never leave animals inside parked vehicles.
• Never leave dogs outdoors in the heat. It’s not just deadly—it’s illegal. Virginia law prohibits keeping dogs tethered outside when the temperature is above 85 degrees or during a heat advisory.

This summer, PETA fieldworkers discovered the body of a dog who had died after being left chained up in the hot sun, and similar reports nationwide are flooding in. Recently, a law-enforcement officer mistakenly left his patrol car with a dog inside it and the K-9 succumbed to heat prostration and died. This year, 40 dogs have reportedly died from heat-related causes. (The actual figure is far likely higher, as most heat-related companion animal deaths go unreported.)

Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted for cruelty.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.