‘Break the Window,’ Says 'Silicon Valley' Star: Always Rescue Dogs From Hot Cars

‘Break the Window,’ Says ‘Silicon Valley’ Star: Always Rescue Dogs From Hot Cars

For Immediate Release:
July 18, 2023

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Los Angeles –

As record-breaking temperatures scorch the country, Silicon Valley fan-favorite Chris Diamantopoulos appears in a new video for PETA urging people to save dogs from suffering in hot cars. In the spot—which will run in Silicon Valley, California, (and elsewhere!) throughout the summer—the star of the new thriller comedy series Mrs. Davis explodes into action to rescue a trapped canine, played by his own animal companion, Zeus, using his emergency window-breaking hammer.

“Parked cars are death traps for dogs,” says Diamantopoulos. “You should always take situations like these seriously and move fast because death can come very, very quickly.”

PETA points out that even when it’s 75 degrees outside, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 94 degrees in just 10 minutes, and when it’s 90 degrees outside, the temperature inside a parked car can reach 109 degrees in just minutes. As the temperature climbs, dogs endure agonizing physical reactions to the heat: They go into shock, vomit blood, urinate, have diarrhea, and can experience multi-organ failure, cardiopulmonary arrest, fluid buildup in the lungs, muscle tremors, seizures, unconsciousness, and, finally, death. Already this year, 116 dogs have reportedly died from heat-related causes. (The actual figure is likely far higher, as most deaths go unreported.)

Anyone who sees a dog or a child in a parked car should never leave the scene and should take immediate action: Call 911. Then write down the vehicle’s make, model, color, and license plate number, and rush to have nearby stores page the owner. Diamantopoulos adds, “If the authorities are unresponsive or too slow and the dog’s life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness and take the steps to remove the suffering animal from the car.”

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 on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.