Woman in Doghouse to Hold Icy Four-Hour State Capitol Vigil

As Chained Dogs Shiver, Ache, and Freeze in Pennsylvania Backyards, PETA Supporter Will Urge Officials to Push

For Immediate Release:
January 27, 2016

Contact:
Lakisha Ridley 202-483-7382

Wearing only a cotton T-shirt, a PETA supporter will crouch for four hours inside a doghouse in frigid weather at the State Capitol on Thursday in order to urge representatives to pass an anti-tethering bill that recently passed the state Senate. The legislation would help protect hundreds of dogs who are left to languish in winter weather, including during storms, in backyards throughout the state. Nearly 20 states and more than 200 jurisdictions around the country have restricted or banned chaining, and officials have reported that chaining legislation improves dogs’ lives and makes neighborhoods safer.

Where:           The northwest corner of State and N. Third streets, Harrisburg

When:             Thursday, January 28, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

“Every dog in Pennsylvania deserves to be warm indoors, and citizens deserve to be safe in their streets and neighborhoods,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “State legislators need to push this vital bill forward and join PETA in calling for everyone to make dogs a part of the family and keep them indoors.”

Every year, PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—receives thousands of complaints about people who leave dogs outside in the cold. Dogs and other animals can suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze. Cold weather spells extra hardship for “backyard dogs,” who often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.