Urgent: One Dog Dead in Odessa, Others May Die in Hot Cars—Vital Tips Here

For Immediate Release:
June 9, 2021

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

A dog died in a hot car in Odessa over the weekend, and this week’s scorching temperatures—reaching the triple digits—will put dogs at high risk of enduring heat prostration and dying, so PETA is issuing an urgent warning to anyone with a dog:

• Touch the pavement to ensure that it won’t burn dogs’ foot pads.
• Be alert to a long, curled-up tongue and heavy panting, as dogs cannot sweat as humans can and heat builds up inside their bodies.
• Walk only in the shade, on earth or grass, and never leave animals outdoors in extreme heat or inside vehicles.

Just last week, PETA fieldworkers discovered the body of a dog who had died after being left chained up in the hot sun, and similar reports nationwide are starting to roll in. Recently, a law-enforcement officer mistakenly left his patrol car with a dog inside it, and the K-9 succumbed to heat prostration and died. Last year, more than 31 dogs were reported dead from heat-related causes. (Figures are likely far higher, as most heat-related deaths go unreported.)

Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted for cruelty.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.