Operation Wag: Donate a Toy and Help a Chained Dog!

PETA Launches Two-Week Toy Drive to Bring Joy Into Lives of Neglected Dogs Left Out in the Heat This Summer

For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2016

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Norfolk, Va. –

With no end in sight to the high temperatures gripping the region, PETA is launching Operation Wag: Toy Drive for Chained Dogs. Starting August 11 and continuing through August 25, Hampton Roads residents will be able to donate dog toys for PETA to distribute to neglected “backyard dogs,” many of whom are suffering in the excessive heat with no source of stimulation.

Collection bins will be located in Norfolk at Anthony & Company Hair Design (2200 Colonial Ave., Ste. 11), Coelacanth Brewing (760 W 22^nd St.), Fair Grounds (806 Baldwin Ave. No. 2), G Patton Salon (350 W. 22^nd St. No. 104), Muddy Paws (3700 Hampton Blvd.), Muddy Paws Downtown (400 Granby St.), PETA’s Sam Simon Center (501 Front St.), Slover Library (235 E. Plume St.), Smartmouth Brewing Co. (1309 Raleigh Ave.), Zeke’s Beans & Bowls (800 Granby St.), and Harbor Gallery (1508 Colley Ave.).

“One toy can make a world of difference for a dog with no other relief from the misery of being chained in place under the hot sun,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is working hard to provide these neglected dogs with food, water, shade, and kindness—and with the community’s help, we can do even more.”

PETA is seeking durable toys like KONGs and sturdy plush playthings to distribute to dogs who are chained outdoors and spend their entire lives eating, sleeping, and eliminating within the same few square feet. Chaining dogs deprives them of the social interaction that they need as pack animals. Summer is especially hard on these dogs, who, unlike humans, can only sweat through their footpads and cool themselves by panting. Soaring temperatures can cause heat stress, injury, or death. Dogs should live indoors with the rest of the family. If they must be outside, they must have access to fresh water and ample shade.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—serves as a 24/7 resource for animals in need. In addition to providing free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, PETA’s fieldworkers give free doghouses, straw bedding (in winter), flea and flystrike prevention, food, water, and other necessities to dogs and cats who are kept chained or penned outdoors.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.