Code Blue: Freezing Weather Prompts ‘Take Your Dog Inside’ PSA Blitz
For Immediate Release:
January 25, 2022
Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382
Below-freezing temperatures are forecast to continue in the weeks ahead, so PETA has rushed a code blue alert to the Windy City, courtesy of five sky-high PSAs urging everyone to treat their dogs like family members and take them indoors.
“Dogs are flesh and blood, not old bicycles, so if left outside in freezing temperatures, they’ll freeze, too—sometimes to death,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is reminding everyone that animals depend on us for everything, from food, water, and shelter to warmth and love, so it’s up to us to treat them like family and keep them indoors.”
Cold weather and winter storms lead to multiple deaths, injuries, and near-miss rescues each year, and most incidents aren’t even reported. When kept tethered, dogs often become entangled and die because they’re unable to reach food, water, or shelter. A glimpse at just some of the dogs PETA’s fieldworkers have found suffering in the cold can be seen here. (Broadcast-quality footage is available upon request.)
It’s illegal in Illinois to leave cats and dogs outside in extreme temperatures. PETA urges anyone who sees neglect to report it to local authorities. Witnesses should take pictures from public property and note how long an animal is left without adequate food, water, or shelter.
PETA’s PSAs are up at the following locations:
- 621 W. 31st
- 1003 N. Ashland Ave., at the intersection with W. Augusta Boulevard
- 1550 W. Chicago Ave., at the intersection with Ashland Avenue
- 2325 W. North Ave., at the intersection with N. Claremont Avenue
- 2048 N. Milwaukee Ave.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information on PETA’s newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
