4 Dogs Dead, Nearly a Dozen More Rescued From Hot Cars at Walmart: PETA Pleads for Lifesaving Signage
For Immediate Release:
July 13, 2026
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
Following a string of dog deaths and more than a dozen dogs and children being rescued from hot cars in Walmart parking lots in just the past three months, PETA sent an urgent letter to Walmart CEO John Furner this morning, calling on him to mandate that all of its locations post prominent signage in its parking lots and store entrances reminding customers never to leave any living beings unattended in vehicles. Throughout the summer, PETA also plans to place messages about the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars near Walmart stores where dogs have died.
As PETA notes in its letter, at least three dogs have died since April after being left in hot vehicles in Walmart parking lots in Florida, Wisconsin, and Texas. And the numbers keep growing, with at least seven dogs already rescued from hot cars in Walmart lots in July alone. Across the U.S. and Canada, at least 51 companion animals have died in heat-related incidents, while 289 have been rescued—and those are just the cases that were reported, most aren’t. Ten children have reportedly died in hot cars across the U.S. since the start of the year.
“Parked cars can be deathtraps, but a simple sign in a Walmart parking lot could mean the difference between life and death for animals and children left behind in the heat,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is urging Walmart to help save lives by mandating eye-catching signs in all of its lots, and reminds everyone to never leave companion animals or kids in hot cars.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—offers an emergency window-breaking hammer to help intervene in life-or-death situations involving animals in hot cars. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Furner follows.
July 13, 2026
John Furner
President and CEO
Walmart Inc.
Dear Mr. Furner:
I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to ask that Walmart take immediate action to help address a tragic and preventable problem: Dogs and children are suffering—and in some cases dying—after being left in hot vehicles in Walmart parking lots. Please, will you mandate that all of your stores post prominent signage in parking lots and at store entrances reminding customers never to leave any living beings unattended in a vehicle?
Summer has only just begun, yet since April, at least four dogs have died in Walmart parking lots. Another 11 dogs and seven children were rescued from hot vehicles in Walmart lots. These incidents include:
· Police and firefighters shattered a window to rescue a 3-year-old child from a car in near 90-degree heat in Northborough, Massachusetts.
· In DeLand, Florida, two dogs died from heatstroke after being left inside a hot truck for over two hours. One dog’s internal temperature was 109 degrees.
· In Marion, Indiana, a dog was rescued from a van as the temperature inside climbed to 121 degrees. Walmart employees made three announcements, but an hour passed before the dog’s owner exited the store.
Nationwide, since the start of the year, at least 16 dogs and 10 children have died in hot vehicles, while another 106 dogs have been rescued. Of course, these are only cases reported by the media. The true toll is almost certainly much higher.
On a seemingly mild 70-degree day, the temperature inside a vehicle can soar to 89 degrees in just 10 minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Heatstroke, damage to organs, and death can occur extremely quickly, so it’s crucial that neither children nor dogs ever be left in parked cars—even for “just a minute.” Dogs are highly susceptible to heatstroke because they can only sweat through their paw pads and cool themselves primarilythrough panting.
A simple reminder posted where shoppers will see it could help prevent needless suffering and save lives. We hope Walmart will take this important step. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid Newkirk
Founder
