Urgent Message: PETA Warns Animals Will Die If Left Outside During Winter Storm Fern

For Immediate Release:
January 22, 2026

Contact:
Alex Payne 202-483-7382

As Winter Storm Fern threatens to bring significant snow and ice to over 35 states this weekend, PETA is issuing tips for keeping animals safe. Dogs and cats are especially vulnerable in cold weather and winter storms, which lead to multiple deaths, injuries, and near-miss rescues each year—and most incidents aren’t even reported. A glimpse of just some of the dogs PETA’s fieldworkers have found suffering in the cold can be seen here. (Broadcast-quality footage is available upon request.)

The following steps can go a long way toward helping animals survive cold weather.

• Bring them indoors: Dogs who are kept continuously chained and penned outside—like those featured in Breaking the Chain, a documentary produced by Oscar winner Anjelica Huston—often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care. Dogs and cats who are left outdoors in the cold can suffer from frostbite, hypothermia, and dehydration and starvation when water and food sources freeze.
• Gear up: Sweaters can help keep dogs comfortable for walks in cold weather(just be sure to remove wet jackets the moment dogs return home), secure harnesses can help prevent them from getting loose, and booties can protect their sensitive paw pads from the frozen ground. Keep walks short in cold weather, especially for short-haired dogs.

Good Samaritans who see companion animals kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements should note the animals’ exact location and alert local law enforcement authorities immediately. Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted.

PETA is additionally sharing a cold-weather PSA, which reminds people to make plans to ensure the safety of their animal companions when temperatures drop.

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.