For immediate release:
June 22, 2021
Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382
Washington – PETA sent a letter to President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden this afternoon expressing condolences over the recent loss of Champ and offering a life-saving way to honor the first dog: a decree prohibiting the cruel practice of keeping dogs on chains. constantly on the street, which leads to the death of dogs from the summer heat. Chained dogs also suffer greatly when left outside during winter storms and cold weather, and are sometimes found frozen to death.
PETA points to the case of Star, a dog found dead by PETA field workers in North Carolina on May 28, when the temperature reached 95 degrees and Star, heavily entangled in a chain, could not reach the water or shade. Without the ban on chained dogs outdoors 24/7 while watching life, many more lonely “pet dogs” will suffer and die in this summer’s blazing heat.
“All dogs deserve what Champ had: a long life with people who love them as family members,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphne Nachminovich. “PETA is calling on President Biden to turn this time of grief into a time of hope for American dogs, saving them from miserable lives and often gruesome chain deaths.”
PETA, whose motto is in part that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way,” is opposed to arrogance, a worldview focused on human superiority. For more information please visit PETA.org or subscribe to the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram…
PETA’s letter to Biden follows.
June 22, 2021
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States of America
Dr. Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden
The White house
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20500
Dear President and Dr. Biden:
We hope this post will help you stay safe. Please accept our deepest condolences for the loss of a champion who enjoyed the life, love and respect that all dogs deserve, but little experience, as our field workers and emergency response team members can attest.
You may be aware that many dogs in America lack attention not only to their individual needs and personalities, but often to basic life needs as well. On May 28, a PETA field officer in rural North Carolina discovered a chained dog named Star who died of heatstroke. The high temperature that day was 95 degrees, and Star had no access to water or shade. The climate crisis does not bode well for chained dogs. PETA visits “backyard dogs” such as Star daily, but can only cover a limited area, so countless “backyard dogs” will suffer terribly across the country this summer, and some will die right away. A new PETA public service message warning of the dangers of hot weather is currently being broadcast on North Carolina and Virginia TV channels: 60- and 30-second versions can be viewed at https://f.io/YZMUx_rB and https: // f .io / hvp86d_V respectively.
In memory of Shamp and Star, could you please consider enacting an Emergency Ordinance to Outlaw Dog Cruelty on the Street? These social pack animals deserve more than constant loneliness and exposure to all kinds of weather. Like Champ, they deserve a long life with people who love them as family members.
All dogs deserve to be respected and cherished, just like Champ.
With best regards,
Daphne Nachminovich
Senior vice president
Abuse Investigation Department