For Immediate Release:
June 29, 2022
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Norfolk, Va. – On the heels of his first NASCAR Cup Series win in Sonoma, California, and as much of the country endures a record-setting heat wave, Daniel Suárez is racing to the rescue with a lifesaving message for drivers: Never leave your dog in a car on a warm day.
Starring in a PETA video that will air across the U.S. this summer, Suárez says, “You probably don’t realize that your dog can die of a heatstroke in the time that it takes you to make a quick pit stop.” He continues, “Whatever errand you have to make is not as important as your dog’s life.”
Temperatures inside a parked car can reach the triple digits in just minutes—and since dogs can’t sweat and cool themselves primarily by panting, they’re at greater risk of suffering from heatstroke than humans are. Already this year, 23 dogs have died from heat-related causes and another 168 animals were reportedly rescued from potentially deadly situations—and since these numbers include only incidents reported in the media, the actual figures are surely far higher.
Anyone who sees a dog in a parked car should take immediate action: Write down the vehicle’s color, make, model, and license plate number and rush to have the business page the animal’s owner. If they can’t be found, call 911—and if authorities are unresponsive, do what it takes to save a life. PETA offers an emergency window-breaking hammer for intervening in life-or-death situations.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
