‘Too Hot for Spot and Tot!’ After Dog Is Rescued in Nick of Time, PETA Urges The Home Depot to Alert Shoppers to Perils of Leaving Dogs in Hot Cars

For Immediate Release:
April 16, 2024

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Following Port St. Lucie officers’ rescue of a dog from a hot SUV last week, PETA sent an urgent letter today to Ted Decker, chair, president, and CEO of The Home Depot, requesting that the company post warning signs outside stores nationwide reminding patrons never to leave a dog or a child inside a parked car, where temperatures can spike in minutes and subject those trapped inside to immense suffering and an agonizing death.

Port St. Lucie Police Officer Taylor Battistelli, who pulled the dog from the sweltering vehicle, told news sources, “She was panting really heavily. She appeared very nervous. You could feel the heat coming off her. She felt like she was on fire when I first pulled her out.”

“A parked car can quickly become a death trap for dogs, cats, and children who can’t escape as temperatures soar and their bodies shut down,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is urging The Home Depot to help prevent tragedies by reminding customers never to leave a vulnerable family member in the car.”

Last year in the U.S., 163 dogs and cats died from heat-related causes, including at least 69 in vehicles alone—and the actual numbers are likely far higher, as most such deaths go unreported. On a 70-degree day, 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.

Anyone who sees an animal or a child in a parked vehicle should take immediate action: Write down the color, make, model, and license plate number, and rush to have nearby stores page the owner of the car. If the owner can’t be found, call the local humane authorities or the police. If they’re unresponsive, do whatever it takes to save the individual’s life. PETA offers an emergency window-breaking hammer for intervening in life-and-death situations.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every 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.

PETA’s letter to Decker follows.

April 16, 2024

Ted Decker

Chair, President, and CEO

The Home Depot

Dear Mr. Decker:

I hope you are well. We appreciate your company for the help it has given us over the years with doghouses for our Community Animal Project. Now, we have an urgent matter to bring to your attention in response to reports that a dog was rescued from a hot vehicle in a Home Depot parking lot in Port St. Lucie, Florida. On behalf of our millions of members and supporters as well as dogs and children (yes, they’re sometimes left in hot cars, too) everywhere, we urge you to take prompt action to prevent additional potentially lethal mistakes by posting signs in your parking lots and store entrances advising customers against leaving any living, feeling beings inside unattended vehicles. We would deeply appreciate it.

Just since last year, there have been at least 69 hot weather–related companion animal deaths involving vehicles. This number includes only incidents reported in the media, so the actual figure is clearly much higher. It doesn’t take long for parked vehicles to turn into deadly ovens—on a 70-degree day, the temperature inside one 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.

Heatstroke, damage to organs (including the brain), and death can occur extremely quickly, so it’s crucial that no living, feeling beings ever be left in parked cars—even for “just a minute.” Dogs are highly susceptible to heatstroke because they can sweat only through their footpads and cool themselves by panting. Please watch this short video about these life-threatening dangers. I’m sure it will move you.

Please, will you join our efforts to save lives by reminding shoppers that they should never leave dogs or anyone else in a hot car? We’d be pleased to send you copies of our “Too Hot for Spot and Tot” public service announcement, or we could work on a custom design in partnership with you. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

President