1,000 Animals Rescued and Counting: New Video Shows PETA Fieldworker’s Tireless Effort to Help Animals

For Immediate Release:
August 25, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Norfolk, Va. –

Wading through treacherous floodwaters and responding to urgent calls around the clock is business as usual for Chris Klug, who for nearly a decade has braved hurricanes, blizzard conditions, and the scorching summer heat to rescue animals from deadly dangers—and as a new PETA video released today reveals, he’s now reached a monumental milestone: 1,000 animals rescued. Photos of Klug in action are here.

From a pelican entangled in discarded fishing gear to sheep on the brink of starvation to dogs forced to spend their entire existence trapped at the end of a heavy chain, Klug has sprung into action to help them. His many animal-rescue efforts have included saving animals in rising floodwaters during the aftermath of the devastating Baton Rouge Flooding of 2016—as well as hurricanes Harvey and Florence—and reuniting stranded animals with their guardians and delivering critical supplies to impacted communities.

“It can feel overwhelming to know that countless dogs and cats remain neglected, abused, and forgotten, but every one of these rescues has given me the motivation I need to keep going,” says Klug. “As long as animals are still abandoned or chained outdoors and left to suffer in the shadows, I will continue to do whatever it takes to give them the hope and relief they deserve.”

As a PETA fieldworker since 2015, Klug works to improve the lives of neglected animals in impoverished rural areas near PETA’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, providing chained dogs without adequate protection from the elements with sturdy custom-built wooden doghouses, cleaning and filling algae-covered and empty water buckets, providing food for famished dogs whose “owners” often just throw old kibble or scraps on the ground, treating flea and tick infestations, medicating ears bloodied from fly-strike, and more. These dogs include Rusty, a senior dog who was kept tethered outdoors 24/7 for nearly a decade.

*PETA fieldworker Chris Klug and Rusty, a neglected senior dog who he helped rescue from a tiny dirt pen in a backyard in North Carolina. Credit: PETA*

Klug, 44, lives with his partner Emily and adopted canine companion Lucy—also a PETA rescue.

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.