For immediate release:
August 31, 2021
Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. – The dog was recently rescued after being left in a hot car in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but help comes too late for some dogs, including K-9, who recently died in a patrol car. This year, 42 dogs were registered dead from heat-related causes only in the USA. (The numbers are likely much higher, as most heat-related pet deaths go unreported.)
The high temperatures this week put dogs at high risk of heat prostration and death, so PETA issues an urgent warning to anyone with a dog: Never leave them in vehicles, and be sure to do the following.
- Touch the sidewalk before walking to avoid scalding your dog’s paw pads.
- Watch out for long, twisted tongue and heavy breathing, as dogs cannot sweat like humans and heat builds up in their bodies.
- Walk only in the shade, on the ground or grass, and never leave the animals alone (on one occasion this year, PETA field workers found the body of a dog that died after being left chained to the scorching sun).
Anyone who leaves animals in hot cars or on the street to get hurt in harsh weather can be prosecuted for the cruelty.
For more information please visit PETA.org.