Urgent Warning as Temps Soar: Dogs Found with No Water, Maggoty Food

For Immediate Release:
July 11, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Roanoke Rapids, N.C. –

With temperatures still soaring throughout North Carolina, PETA is issuing a reminder that it’s illegal to leave a dog outside without access to shelter, shade, and potable water. This year alone, 50 dogs and cats have reportedly died from heat-related causes, while another 175 have needed to be rescued from the heat—and the actual figures are likely far higher, as most events go unreported. If you’re hot, dogs and cats—who can’t sweat as humans do—are even hotter.

Every day, PETA fieldworkers find dogs without access to shade, with no water at all, or with filthy bowls contaminated with algae, mosquito larvae, tadpoles, or even the remains of deceased wild animals. One dog’s food dish was crawling with maggots and reeking of rot. These conditions are not only inhumane but also life-threatening, especially during extreme heat.

PETA urges people to be on the lookout for animals who need assistance, including those who may be experiencing heatstroke symptoms, and advises everyone to do the following:

Walk dogs during cooler parts of the day and limit their time outside in the heat. Before walks, touch the pavement to ensure it won’t burn dogs’ foot pads. In hot weather, walk only in the shade or on earth or grass.
Never leave animals outdoors in extreme heat or inside vehicles at any time.
If you see a dog showing signs of heatstroke—including heavy panting, excessive drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, difficulty walking, seizures, and collapse—ensure that the animal is moved into the shade or an air-conditioned space, offer them water, and wet them down with room-temperature (not cold) water. If their guardian isn’t around, call local authorities immediately.
If keeping dogs chained outside isn’t illegal in your community, urge your local officials to outlaw it. Contact PETA to learn how.

*Skully, a dog left chained outside, was found in the scorching heat with no water before PETA fieldworkers refilled his empty bucket and he* *drank for nearly a minute. Credit: PETA*

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.