‘Dogs Will Suffer and Die’: PETA Urges Gov. Stein to Declare State of Emergency for Dogs Left Outdoors in Dangerous Cold

For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2026

Contact:
Alex Payne 202-483-7382

With freezing temperatures continuing this week and another significant Arctic-style snowstorm expected to hit the state on Friday, PETA sent a letter to Gov. Josh Stein today, urging him to declare a state of emergency that would prohibit leaving dogs chained or penned outside. PETA’s urgent plea to the governor points out that dogs left outside suffer greatly, all will be at risk of developing frostbite, hypothermia, and dehydration—and many could die. An emergency declaration would also remind residents that leaving dogs outside to suffer in the unrelenting cold may lead to being charged with cruelty to animals and would aid officials in enforcing the law.

In just the last week, PETA fieldworkers have found dead and dying dogs still chained or confined to their outdoor pens—including in Northampton County, where an emaciated dog named Daisy was found shivering and lethargic guarding the remains of her deceased companion inside a dilapidated doghouse. Daisy was so starved that she’d been eating the dead dog with whom she had shared the small pen, in an attempt to survive. PETA notes thatthis winter alone, dozens of dogs and cats have reportedly died from cold-related causes across the country—with the actual number far higher, as most deaths go unreported.

“As temperatures drop, dogs trapped in pens and at the end of chains with no way to escape the sub-freezing temperatures will suffer and die,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is urgently requesting Gov. Stein to declare an emergency for dogs kept outside now in order to prevent them from suffering and freezing to death.”

PETA points out that dogs like pitbulls—the breed most commonly found chained outside—have short coats, which offer no protection from the cold, so while they are believed to look tough, their lives are in danger during this weather. Dogs kept penned or chained outdoors typically go without adequate water, protective shelter, or veterinary care, and chains often become tangled or frozen to the ground—or even frozen to the dog.

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.

PETA’s letter to Stein follows.

January 29, 2026

The Honorable Josh Stein

Governor of North Carolina

Dear Governor Stein:

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our nearly 169,000 members and supporters in North Carolina to respectfully urge you to declare a state of emergency for dogs right away because of extreme cold and the potential for another significant winter storm in the forecast. North Carolina is about to feel like the Arctic for dogs who are chained or penned outside. This means a desperate struggle to maintain body heat and stave off frostbite and hypothermia. They also face dehydration when water sources—if they’re even available—freeze. Dogs will suffer and die. They’re no better equipped to survive freezing temperatures or extreme weather conditions than humans would be if they were unable to go indoors or seek any heat sources. The extreme cold is especially dangerous for dogs with short or smooth coats, like pit bulls—the type of dog most commonly condemned to life outdoors. And chains become tangled, frozen to the ground—or even frozen to the dogs’ necks.

Leaving dogs outside in such weather would violate N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-360, which prohibits any person from intentionally injuring, tormenting, torturing, or killing an animal, including both actions and omissions or neglect that cause or allow unjustifiable pain, suffering, or death. An emergency declaration would remind residents that this is cruelty to animals and aid local officials in protecting dogs by enforcing the law.

In just the last week alone, PETA fieldworkers have handled these cases:

• In Northampton County, we discovered the body of a dog who had died in a doghouse with a dog who was chained and still alive. Daisy was starving and had been eating her deceased companion to survive. We rushed Daisy for emergency veterinary care, and we are pursuing criminal charges against the persons responsible for her suffering.
• In Bertie County, a man called us, concerned that his son’s elderly chained dog would die if left out in the cold. Blue’s owner agreed to surrender him to PETA when we arrived.
• In Hertford County, we found a tiny chained dog named Chase shivering uncontrollably inside his PETA-provided doghouse. He was likely to freeze to death, and we were able to persuade his owner to take him inside.

Daisy, Blue, Chase, and countless other dogs like them are why PETA is begging North Carolina state legislators to strengthen protections for dogs kept outside.

Please, act today to declare a state of emergency that prohibits keeping dogs chained or penned outside in dangerous weather conditions such as we are experiencing now and are expecting again this winter.

Thank you for your consideration of this vital matter.

Most respectfully,

Daphna Nachminovitch

Senior Vice President

Cruelty Investigations Department