Please See Them: Chained Dog’s Death Prompts New TV Plea for ‘Invisible Dogs’

For Immediate Release:
May 31, 2022

Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382

On the heels of a case in Weatherford in which a dog was found dead after being tethered outside in 102-degree heat without food, water, or shade, PETA is hitting local TV airwaves with an emergency message urging action for dogs who are in danger, “forgotten, as if they were invisible.” The 30-second spot shows dogs relegated to chains as they slowly disappear and ends with this plea: “Please see these dogs and help free them from a life of despair, before it’s too late. Dogs don’t belong at the end of a chain.” The video directs viewers to PETA.org/Chained to learn how to talk to neighbors about bringing dogs indoors and advocate for a city- or countywide dog-chaining ordinance.

“This poor dog died of heatstroke after being left to wither away outdoors in the blistering sun, and countless other chained dogs will suffer out of sight in backyards during summer’s scorching temperatures,” says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is calling on people to let their dogs live inside with the rest of the family, encourage others to do the same, and always come to the aid of an animal in need.”

A Texas law passed earlier this year requires that dogs be provided with shelter that protects them from the weather, shade from direct sunlight, and drinkable water. PETA urges everyone to be on the lookout for any dog kept chained or penned outside 24/7. Witnesses should take pictures from public property; note how long an animal is left without adequate food, water, or shelter; and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately.

Neighbors called the authorities when they noticed the dog in distress, but by the time police got there, it was too late. This case, which led to the arrest of the dog’s owner, is not an isolated one. Every year, PETA receives reports of dead or dying dogs, many of whom were imprisoned in pens and/or still had heavy chains around their necks. “Backyard dogs” often go without adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care, confined to the same few square feet of space day in and day out. Chained dogs have been found tangled in their tethers and suffering from heatstroke and dehydration in the summer and frostbite in the winter.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.