CODE BLUE! PETA Issues Survival Tips for Animals During Cold Weather

For Immediate Release:
January 18, 2022

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

Roanoke Rapids, N.C. –

Because temperatures are dropping below freezing, PETA is sharing tips for keeping animals safe. They are especially vulnerable in cold weather and winter storms, which lead to multiple deaths, injuries, and near-miss rescues each year. (And most incidents aren’t even reported.) That’s why PETA works with law-enforcement officials in North Carolina to get charges filed against people who illegally leave their animals outside in extreme weather and offers free straw bedding to residents upon request by calling PETA at 1-800-566-9768.

The following steps can go a long way toward helping animals survive the freezing temperatures coming to your area:

Bring Them Indoors

Companion animals should live indoors with their human families. Dogs left chained up outside—like those featured in Breaking the Chain, the documentary produced by Oscar winner Anjelica Huston—and “outdoor cats” often go without adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care. Their water turns to ice, their food turns to mush if left out in the rain, and these animals are no better equipped to survive freezing temperatures or extreme weather conditions than humans are. They can suffer terribly from frostbite and die of exposure.

Report Animals Left Outside

Many chained dogs are pit bulls, whose short hair leaves them particularly vulnerable. Please be on the lookout for any dog kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately.

Change the Law

If your town or county allows the continuous chaining of dogs, work with local officials to get a ban passed—and contact PETA for help.

A glimpse of just some of the dogs PETA’s fieldworkers have found suffering in the cold can be seen here.

PETA has released a cold-weather public service announcement. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.