Local NASCAR Star Daniel Suárez IsDriven to Help Chained Dogs in PETA Campaign
For Immediate Release:
June 10, 2024
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Huntersville resident and superstar driver Daniel Suárez—who added another NASCAR Cup Series win to his résumé with a stunning three-wide finish at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in February—has teamed up with PETA for a new campaign targeting Tar Heels who chain their dogs outside like old bicycles. In a video airing on TV stations across the state and accompanying sky-high billboard erected near the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the racing champ pushes his fellow North Carolinians to keep their dogs inside with the rest of the family—where they belong.
“The way I treat my animals is like family. We wouldn’t chain our kids or siblings, mom and dad, or grandpa,” says Suárez in a heartfelt video. “Chaining is 100% wrong. And it doesn’t matter if it’s North Carolina or anywhere else in the country or in the world, you know? I will definitely never leave my dog outside.”
Every day, PETA’s field rescue team visits dogs who are denied the most basic necessities, including food, water, shelter, and veterinary care for even life-threatening illnesses or injuries. Many spend their existence trapped at the end of a heavy chain, covered with fleas and other parasites, malnourished, and essentially forgotten. PETA’s fieldworkers routinely find dogs who have succumbed to starvation, dehydration, or exposure. After receiving a tip from a concerned neighbor in Nash County in December, fieldworkers found the remains of three emaciated dogs tossed into the woods along with four survivors who were malnourished and chained without access to food or water—and cases such as these are all too common. North Carolina—which the Animal Legal Defense Fund ranked 34th in its U.S. State Animal Protection Laws Ranking Report—lags behind other Southern states in its animal care laws. As temperatures continue to rise, PETA asks everyone to be on the lookout for animals in need. If you see a dog who’s neglected, hurting, or in need of help in any way, please notify your local law-enforcement authorities or animal control agency. If they don’t respond promptly, call PETA.
Suárez’s video spot will run in Raleigh on and WRAZ (FOX) and in Charlotte on WSOC (Telemundo) throughout the month. The billboard is located at the intersection of US-29 and Morehead Rd in Concord.
Suárez previously starred in a PETA video warning people not to leave dogs in hot cars. He’s part of a long list of athletes—including Tyrann Mathieu, Ryan Tannehill, Chris Godwin, Enes Kanter Freedom, Lonnie Walker, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Ty Lawson, and Candace Parker—who have teamed up with PETA to promote kindness to animals.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
