Lifesavers! Virginia Beach Police Get PETA’s Window-Smashing Hammers for Rescues From Hot Cars

For Immediate Release:
August 20, 2024

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Earlier today, PETA staffers hand-delivered 100 emergency window-breaking hammers to the Virginia Beach Police Department in recognition of its recent rescue of a dog who had been left in a hot car. The lifesaving tools will help officers continue to take quick action to save animals or children trapped inside sweltering vehicles.

“Animals left alone in parked cars are in danger every minute they spend helpless in the heat,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA thanks the Virginia Beach Police Department for embracing these ‘heroes’ hammers’ and standing ready to rescue anyone in need.”

So far this summer, at least 90 dogs and other companion animals have died from heat-related causes and more than 300 animals—many of whom were trapped in sweltering vehicles—were rescued from potentially deadly situations. (The actual numbers are likely far higher, as most deaths and rescues go unreported.) On a 70-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 99 degrees in 20 minutes. On a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in just 10 minutes.

Anyone who sees a dog or a child alone in a parked car should stay on the scene and take immediate action. Call 911. Then write down the vehicle’s make, model, color, and license plate number and rush to have nearby stores page the owner. If authorities are unresponsive or too slow and the dog’s or child’s life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness and take the necessary steps to remove them from the car, like using PETA’s emergency window-breaking hammer, available for purchase here.

PETA has previously delivered window-breaking hammers to the Chandler Police Department in Arizona, the Little Rock Police Department in Arkansas, the Omaha Police Department in Nebraska, and the Wilmington Police Department in North Carolina.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.