Elisabetta Canalis: Trapped in a Summer Scorcher

Italian supermodel Elisabetta Canalis knows what it means to be hot! She first worked with PETA when she posed for this steamy anti-fur ad, and she, she braved a different kind of heat and to remind people not to leave their cars parked with their loving animal companions still inside.

In the revealing video, Elisabetta endures the panic and pain that a dog feels when left in a car on a summer day—even with the windows open a crack. As the car heats up, Elisabetta experiences the agonizing symptoms of heatstroke. As panic and anxiety set in, Elisabetta’s condition deteriorates rapidly with the addition of excessive thirst, lethargy, lack of coordination, and a rapid heartbeat. Scared and alone, she desperately attempts to escape the car, which is quickly heating up like an oven. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a shaded car is 90 degrees, while the inside of a car parked in the sun can reach 160 degrees in minutes. She is helpless to protect herself from the elements on a hot summer day.

Dogs rely on us to keep them safe from harm. When they are left in hot cars, conditions can become dangerous and even deadly very quickly. Animals who suffer from heatstroke can sustain brain damage or even die in just 15 minutes. Check out our tips to keep dogs cool during the hottest days of the summer. Also, please take a few seconds to add your name to our pledge to do more to help animals this summer.

Want to do more to help dogs? Share Elisabetta’s urgent message with your friends: