Urgent Message From PETA: Winter Storm Survival Tips for Animals

For Immediate Release:
January 9, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

With below-freezing temperatures and snow expected in Virginia and North Carolina this weekend through next week, PETA is issuing tips for keeping animals safe.They’re especially vulnerable in cold weather, which leads to multiple deaths, injuries, and near-miss rescues each year—and most incidents aren’t even reported. A glimpse of just some of the dogs PETA’s fieldworkers have found suffering in the cold can be seen here.

The following information can go a long way toward helping animals survive in winter storms.

• Bring them indoors: Dogs who are kept permanently chained and penned outside and “outdoor cats”—like those featured in Breaking the Chain, a documentary produced by Oscar winner Anjelica Huston—often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care. Animals who are left outdoors in the cold can suffer from frostbite and exposure, and dogs who are kept tethered can become tangled and die when they’re unable to reach food, water, or shelter.
• Gear up: Coats will keep dogs comfortable in cold weather (just be sure to remove wet jackets the moment dogs return home), secure harnesses can help prevent them from getting loose on walks, and booties will protect their sensitive paw pads from the frozen ground. Keep walks short in cold weather, especially for shorthaired dogs.
• Don’t forget birds: During extreme winter weather, provide birds and other wild animals with access to an emergency water supply by filling a heavy nonmetal water bowl (tongues can freeze to metal) and breaking the surface ice at least twice a day.

Good Samaritans who see companion animals kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements should note the animals’ exact location and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately. Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted.

PETA is additionally sharing its cold-weather PSA, which reminds people to make plans to ensure the safety of their animal companions when temperatures drop.

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 PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.