Video: Chiefs’ Tyrann Mathieu Locks Himself Inside a Hot Car for Lifesaving PETA Campaign

Group Marks ‘National Heat Awareness Day’ With NFL Star’s Demonstration to Protect Dogs

For Immediate Release:
May 30, 2019

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Dozens of dogs die each year after being left inside cars on hot days, so Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu sat inside a parked vehicle with the windows rolled up as the temperature inside soared to 120 degrees for a PETA video released ahead of National Heat Awareness Day (May 31). Sweating and gasping for air, Mathieu flees the vehicle after just eight minutes. But as the video points out, unlike most humans, dogs can’t escape these oven-like conditions by themselves—and they can succumb to heatstroke in a matter of minutes, even on a mild day. “If you see a dog in a hot car, remember that every second counts,” the video urges. “Dial 911 …. Do whatever it takes.”

“I seriously couldn’t imagine leaving my dog in a car like this,” says Mathieu in the video as the heat starts to set in. “If you’re going to make a dog a part of your family … [d]on’t treat him like you wouldn’t treat someone you cared about or someone you loved.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—urges anyone who sees a dog locked inside a hot car to call 911 immediately and stay with the vehicle until the owner or the authorities arrive. If neither respond in a timely manner and the animal’s life looks to be in imminent danger, try to find witnesses and take other measures to free the distressed dog from the car.

Mathieu joins a long list of athletes—including Tony Gonzalez, Le’Veon Bell, Devin Funchess, Brandon Flowers, Terrell Suggs, and Maurice Jones-Drew—who’ve teamed up with PETA to promote kindness to animals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.