Heat Kills: PETA Blasts Out Hot-Weather Danger Alerts
For Immediate Release:
July 18, 2023
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
“Dying of thirst? So is your dog.” That’s just one of the appeals in PETA’s new multimedia messaging blitz warning people of the dangers of scorching summer temperatures—especially for dogs chained outside. PETA’s sky-high alerts and convenience store displays have gone up across the region urging everyone to make sure their dogs have plenty of water and reminding them that leaving dogs chained in hot weather can be lethal.
Every year, PETA’s rescue team finds dead or dying dogs confined to pens and/or with heavy chains around their necks. Dogs kept penned or chained outdoors often go without adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care and are limited to the same few square feet of space day in and day out. Already this year, at least 60 animals have reportedly died from heat-related causes across the country. The actual number is likely far higher, as most deaths go unreported. That is why PETA has been working with state legislators to enact laws that would make it illegal to keep dogs chained in extreme temperatures and weather conditions.
The shocking image in the convenience store message shows two dogs who were found dead by PETA fieldworkers in Bertie County, their chains tangled together, unable to reach shade or water.
“Leaving a dog chained or penned outside to swelter in blistering temperatures is cruel and often deadly,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA urges everyone to take the heat off their dogs and bring them indoors with the family, where they belong.”
PETA’s messages appear on nine billboards and 44 digital convenience store displays across Halifax, Hertford, Edgecombe, Gates, Bertie, and Northampton counties.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and urges anyone who sees an animal being neglected to contact local law enforcement. If law enforcement is unresponsive, they should call PETA immediately—day or night—at 757-622-7382, option 2.
For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
