Dogs Are Still Dying in Hot Cars—14 Celebrities Trying to Help

Every year, it seems that people need to be reminded that dogs suffer and die when left in hot cars. These deaths are agonizing but entirely preventable—guardians must remember never to leave animals in parked cars. Mild weather can be misleading—the temperature outside might be a lovely 70 degrees, but the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 99 degrees in 20 minutes. And on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in just 10 minutes.

Dogs can’t cool themselves by sweating as humans can—their only relief from overheating is by panting—which isn’t effective when they’re trapped in a car with only hot air to breathe.

That’s why dogs should never be left in parked cars for any amount of time. Check out these ads from celebs who’ve teamed up with PETA to spread the word that hot cars kill.

Danai Gurira

The Walking Dead and Black Panther star Danai Gurira and her sidekick, Papi, remind denizens of every universe never to leave dogs in hot cars, no matter the reason or season.

Chris Diamantopoulos

This guy … saves dogs from hot cars! Chris Diamantopoulos and his dog, Zeus, joined PETA for a public service announcement showing people what to do if they come across a potentially fatal situation.

Daniel Suárez

NASCAR driver Daniel Suárez took a break from zooming past the competition to stop a woman from making a potentially deadly mistake: leaving her dog in a car on a hot summer day.

Tyrann Mathieu

The NFL player famously tried to survive in a hot car. Spoiler alert: He didn’t last long.

Lonnie Walker

Lonnie Walker’s dog Zola just ran into the store for a few minutes, but that’s all it took for the car to hit over 100 degrees. If an NBA player can’t survive that heat, how can your dog?

Nicole Williams English

Watch as model and fashion designer Nicole Williams English’s makeup tutorial goes from light and fun to dark and dramatic in under two minutes.

Emma Kenney

The Shameless star points out that if a negligent dog owner runs in somewhere even “just for a minute”—leaving the animal trapped—death could come knocking on the car door.

Katee Sackhoff

Longmire and Battlestar Galactica actor Katee Sackhoff sure knows how to play hardcore characters in film and TV—and now, she’s putting heat on people so they’ll never leave animals inside hot parked cars.

Elisabetta Canalis

The Italian supermodel and Dancing With the Stars alum is hot as hell in a video showing why your dog should never be left in a hot car.

Kimiko Glenn 

Orange Is the New Black star (and Arizona native) Kimiko Glenn knows all about hot cars and why you should never leave a dog in one—even with the windows partially rolled down.

Simon Cowell

The man who has made his opinion known for many years also made sure to share his thoughts about people who leave their pups in sweltering vehicles.

Mckenna Grace

The young actor reminds us all that what’s true for children is also true for animals: They should never be left in hot cars.

Krysten Ritter

The Jessica Jones star’s stunning ad broke the mold—and the window—to make the point that we should do “whatever it takes” to save a life.

Laura Bell Bundy

The singer and Broadway star (with pup Norma Jean) spoke up about the way dogs suffer, even in the shade.

When left in hot cars, animals can sustain brain damage or even die from heatstroke in just minutes. Signs of heatstroke—which can occur quickly—include restlessness, heavy panting, lethargy, a darkened tongue, a rapid heart rate, fever, vomiting, glazed eyes, and dizziness.

If you see a dog left in a hot car, every second counts, so act fast. Take down the car’s color, make, model, and license-plate number. Have someone keep an eye on the dog, have the owner paged in the nearest buildings, and call local humane authorities. If you can’t find the owner and authorities are unresponsive or too slow—and the dog appears to be in imminent danger—do whatever it takes to remove the suffering animal from the car. Get the dog into shade as quickly as possible, reduce the animal’s body temperature with lukewarm water, and immediately call a veterinarian.

Make sure that your family, friends, and neighbors know not to leave dogs in hot cars ever!