Paw Protection Alert! PETA to Pass Out Free Dog Booties to Prevent Burns
Sizzling Hot Pavement Can Burn Spot’s Feet; Group Offers Other Tips for Keeping Dogs Safe
For Immediate Release:
July 22, 2020
Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382
Guardians wearing shoes often don’t notice that while their dogs are prancing along, each step on the sizzling pavement is burning their paws. So on Thursday, PETA supporters will be on the Venice Beach Boardwalk to pass out protective gear for dogs in order to help prevent paw-pad burns on super-hot days. Free Poochy Pawz will be given to animal guardians who come to the sign that will proclaim, “The Sidewalk Is Too Hot for Spot!”
When: Thursday, July 23, 12 noon
Where: At the intersection of Windward Avenue and Ocean Front Walk, Venice
PETA notes that even a few minutes of contact with hot pavement can seriously injure dogs’ paws. On an 87-degree day, asphalt temperatures can reach 140 degrees—hot enough to cause permanent damage after just a minute or two of contact. Sidewalks also reflect heat onto dogs’ bodies, increasing their risk of suffering from deadly heatstroke. Like walking on grass, booties can be a life- or limb-saver.
“On scalding surfaces, dogs’ sensitive paw pads can fry,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA suggests taking simple steps to protect your best friend when walking them—and reminds guardians that dogs don’t sweat, so keeping their paw pads cool and panting are the only ways they can avoid heat stress.”
PETA advises all canine guardians to test the pavement with a hand before setting out, avoid asphalt and other dark surfaces, walk their dogs on grass and early in the cool of morning or late at night, carry water and give it to dogs liberally, take frequent breaks in shady spots, and never make dogs wear muzzles that restrict their breathing or panting.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
