OK, Boomer—You Win: Younger Dog Guardians More Likely to Leave Dogs in Hot Cars, Survey Shows
For Immediate Release:
September 10, 2026
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
A new survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of PETA reveals a generational divide in one of the deadliest mistakes a dog guardian can make. In the poll, 26% of dog guardians aged 18 to 34 admit they have left a dog alone in a closed, parked vehicle with no air conditioning when outside temperatures were above 70 degrees Fahrenheit—comparedwith just 1% of those 65 and older. PETA is calling on younger guardians to beware: Poll results show they are 26 times more likely than the oldest generation to put a dog in a potentially fatal situation. PETA points out that at least 85 dogs have died from heat-related causes this summer alone, and those are just the ones that were reported, most deaths are not.
Every year, there is an increase in the number of dogs who are rescued from heat stroke or die when left in a parked car—even for “just a minute”—while their guardians run an errand but get distracted or delayed or simply don’t realize the danger. PETA notes that on a 70-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 99 degrees in 20 minutes, and on a 90-degree day, it can reach 109 degrees in just 10 minutes—because animals can suffer brain damage or die from heatstroke in just 15 minutes, even a “quick errand” can quickly become fatal. Many people do not realize that dogs cannot sweat and can only attempt to cool by expelling hot air by panting.
The poll also found:
· Nearly 1 in 5 dog guardians (17%) admit they’ve left a dog alone in a closed, parked car with no AC when it was above 70 degrees outside.
· Nearly 2 in 5 Americans (39%) don’t know that on a 70-degree day, a closed parked car’s interior can climb 25 to 35 degrees higher than the outside temperature in about 20 minutes.
· 85% of Americans said leaving a dog in a hot parked car is unacceptable once they learned that the interior can hit 99 degrees in 20 minutes.
“A car in the sun becomes an oven, and a dog trapped inside doesn’t stand a chance, even with the window cracked,” says PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk. “Anyone old enough to drive is old enough to know better, and PETA urges everyone never to leave an animal alone in a vehicle, not even for a minute.”
Anyone who sees an animal in a hot car should call 911 immediately. Write down the car’s make, model, and license plate number, or take a picture of the vehicle, go to the nearest building, and ask that the owner of the car be paged. If authorities are too slow to respond, and the animal’s life appears to be in imminent danger, do whatever needs to be done to save them. PETA offers an emergency window-breaking hammer to help intervene in these life-or-death situations. Don’t leave until the authorities arrive on the scene and the animal is safe.
Warning signs of heatstroke include restlessness, excessive thirst, heavy panting, lethargy, lack of appetite, a dark tongue, a rapid heartbeat, fever, vomiting, and lack of coordination. If a dog shows any of these signs, get him or her out of the heat and to a veterinarian immediately.
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.
Survey Method:
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of PETA from July 21–22, 2026, among 2,001 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,373 are dog guardians. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.7 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.
For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact PETA at 757-622-7382 or [email protected].
