Publix Worker Refused to Help Dog in 102-Degree Car, Prompting PETA Push for Lifesaving Policy

For Immediate Release:
September 16, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

After a Leesburg man was arrested on a cruelty to animals charge when his dog was rescued from a sweltering car in a Publix parking lot—and after a store employee reportedly refused a shopper’s plea to page the dog’s guardian—PETA sent a letter today to Publix CEO Kevin Murphy, urging the grocery chain to require employees to make in-store announcements when animals are left in hot cars and post prominent signs throughout its parking lots warning everyone about the deadly dangers of hot cars.

According to reports, a shopper spotted the visibly distressed dog panting heavily inside the car, asked a Publix employee to make an announcement, and was refused; the dog remained trapped for at least 17 minutes before officers arrived. The responding officer noted that the car’s interior was hotter than the outside temperature, which hit 93 degrees that day but felt like 102. PETA notes that animals in parked cars can suffer heat‑related illness or death within 15 minutes and that on a 90‑degree day, interior temperatures can hit 109 degrees in just 10 minutes. Dogs are especially vulnerable because they primarily cool themselves by panting, not sweating. ​

“Parked cars can turn into deathtraps for dogs in mere minutes, and a simple announcement over the intercom could mean the difference between life and death,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is urging Publix to help save lives by requiring employees to alert shoppers to dogs in danger and posting prominent warnings that remind everyone to never leave animals in hot cars.”

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.

PETA’s letter to Murphy follows.

September 16, 2026

Kevin Murphy, CEO

Publix Super Markets

Dear Mr. Murphy:

I’m writing to you on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 10.4 million members and supporters worldwide, including more than 440,000 in Florida—in response to the news that earlier this month, a man was arrested for cruelty to animals after leaving a dog inside a car whose interior temperature exceeded 102 degrees in a Publix parking lot in Leesburg. We also have a request that could save lives. It was reported that a Publix employee refused to make an announcement about the dog, whose life was in imminent danger, when asked to alert everyone in the store that an animal was trapped inside a hot car. Please, will you require that employees make announcements if there is an animal in need and post signs in your parking lots advising visitors against leaving any living being inside an unattended vehicle?

Already this year, there have been at least 85 documented cases of animals dying in hot cars. This number includes only incidents reported in the media, so the actual figure is almost certainly higher. It doesn’t take long for parked vehicles to turn into deadly ovens: On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a car can soar to 100 degrees in just a few minutes, and on a 90-degree day—which Florida has plenty of—the interior temperature can reach 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Leaving the windows partially open or parking in the shade won’t keep vehicles cool enough to be safe.

Heatstroke, damage to organs (including the brain), 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’t sweat and can cool themselves only through panting.

By posting warning signs in lots and on entry doors or stenciling them on parking spaces, Publix would provide customers with a vital reminder that it takes only minutes for a dog or a child to die from heatstroke. We also hope you’ll change your policy, making it mandatory for employees to make announcements calling for the guardian of an unattended child or dog to return to their vehicle. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

Founder