PETA Warns Animals Will Die If Left Outside During Blizzard: Please Share Urgent Survival Tips from PETA

For Immediate Release:
February 22, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

With a nor’easter threatening to bring blizzard conditions—including snow, strong winds, and frigid temperatures—tonight and tomorrow, dogs, cats, and other animals are in danger of dying if left outside. 

In recent winter storms, PETA fieldworkers have found dead and dying dogs still chained or confined to outdoor pens. Dogs and cats are at serious risk of frostbite and hypothermia, and dogs like pitbulls have NO haircoat to help keep them warm, so while they may look tough, they suffer greatly. Dogs who are kept tethered can become tangled and die when they’re unable to reach food, water that’s not frozen over, or properly insulated shelter. A glimpse of just some of the dogs PETA’s fieldworkers have found shivering and suffering outdoors—with little protection from the bitter cold—can be seen here.

The following steps can help save animals’ lives during cold weather.

• Bring them indoors: Winter conditions can be deadly for dogs who are kept chained and penned outside and cats left outdoors, who often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care. This winter alone, dozens of dogs and cats have already died— from cold-weather-related causes—and those are just the cases that are reported. Most aren’t. 
• Gear up: Coats will keep dogs comfortable for short periods in cold weather(just be sure to remove wet jackets the moment dogs return home), secure harnesses can help prevent them from getting loose on walks, and booties will protect their sensitive paw pads from the frozen ground. Keep walks short in cold weather, especially for short-haired dogs.
• Don’t forget wildlife: During extreme winter weather, you can provide birds, squirrels, and other wild animals with access to an emergency water supply by filling a heavy non-metal water bowl (tongues can freeze to metal) and breaking the surface ice at least twice a day.

Good Samaritans who see dogs kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements should note the animals’ exact location and alert local law enforcement authorities immediately. Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted.

PETA’s cold-weather PSA reminds everyone to make plans to ensure the safety of their animal companions when temperatures drop.

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.