Will Mayor Accept ‘Hot Streets Can Burn Dogs’ Feet’ Posters?
As High Temperatures Hit, PETA Wants to Warn People That Dogs’ Feet Can Burn and Blister on Sizzling Streets
For Immediate Release:
June 20, 2019
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
After a local veterinary clinic posted photographs on social media of a dog whose paws had been burned while walking on a local hiking trail on a hot day, PETA sent a letter today to Mayor Shirley Maike offering to send her copies of its hot weather warning sign to be posted around the city. The eye-catching posters show a dog with a bandaged foot alongside the words “Hot Streets Can Burn Dogs’ Feet.“
The group points out that even a few minutes’ contact with hot pavement can cause dogs’ sensitive paws to burn. On an 87-degree day, asphalt temperatures can reach 140 degrees—hot enough to cause burns and permanent damage after just one minute of contact. Hot sidewalks also reflect heat onto dogs’ bodies, increasing their risk of suffering from deadly heatstroke. PETA encourages all animal guardians to test the pavement with a hand before setting out, walk their dogs early in the morning or late at night (when it’s cooler), carry water, take frequent breaks in shady spots, and never make dogs wear muzzles that restrict their breathing.
“As photographs of this poor dog’s paws show, dogs’ paw pads can—and do—burn badly on hot pavement,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA is urging Mayor Maike to remind people to take simple steps to help keep dogs cool and safe all summer long.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—also urges people not to leave an animal inside a vehicle in hot weather. Temperatures can quickly soar in parked cars, and a dog trapped inside can die from heatstroke within minutes—even if the vehicle is in the shade with the windows slightly open, which has little to no effect on lowering the temperature inside.
PETA opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. The group’s letter to Maike is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
