Video: Arizona Cardinals’ Tyrann Mathieu Shows Why Dogs Don’t Belong in Hot Cars

NFL Cornerback Stars in PETA’s Life-Saving Summer Campaign: ‘If You See a Dog in a Hot Car, Do Whatever It Takes!’

For Immediate Release:
July 15, 2015

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

As dozens of dogs die this summer after being locked inside cars on hot days, Arizona Cardinals’ Tyrann Mathieu stars in a brand-new PETA video in which the former Louisiana State University cornerback and New Orleans native sits inside a parked car with the windows rolled up as the temperature inside soars to 120 degrees. Sweating and gasping for air, Mathieu flees the vehicle after just eight minutes. But as the video points out, unlike humans, dogs can’t escape these oven-like conditions—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…. Don’t treat him like you wouldn’t treat someone you cared about or someone you loved.”

This summer has already seen too many deaths in hot cars. In Texas, a 72-year-old man and his beloved dog both died after the car’s door locks malfunctioned, and a missing dog in New Mexico was discovered dead inside a neighbor’s car. But others have been rescued: California firefighters pulled a dog from a dangerously hot car, and an Army veteran in Georgia broke into a car to save another dog.

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, Stevie Johnson, Brandon Flowers, Terrell Suggs, Lance Briggs, Maurice Jones-Drew, and many others—who have teamed up with PETA to promote kindness to animals.

Broadcast-quality footage is available for download here. For more information, please visit PETA.org.