Urgent: PETA Warns That Dogs May Die in Extreme Heat Wave—Vital Tips Here

For Immediate Release:
June 29, 2021

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A dog was rescued from a hot car by police at Oliver Lake recently—outside temperatures were reportedly 43°C (109°F)—and this week’s scorching temperatures will put dogs at high risk of enduring heat prostration and dying, so PETA is issuing an urgent warning to anyone with a dog. Please be sure to do the following:

• Touch the pavement to ensure that it won’t burn dogs’ foot pads.
• Be alert to a long, curled-up tongue and heavy panting, as dogs cannot sweat as humans can and heat builds up inside their bodies.
• Walk only in the shade or on earth or grass, and never leave animals outdoors in extreme heat or inside vehicles.

This month, PETA fieldworkers discovered the body of a dog who had died after being left chained up in the hot sun, and similar reports nationwide are starting to roll in. Recently, a law-enforcement officer mistakenly left his patrol car with a dog inside it, and the K-9 succumbed to heat prostration and died. Last year, more than 31 dogs were reported dead from heat-related causes. (Figures are far likely higher, as most heat-related deaths go unreported.)

PETA also urges everyone to support the Hot Cars Act of 2021, which would require automakers to install technology in vehicles to detect the presence of a child or an animal and alert drivers when someone is in the backseat.

Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted for cruelty.