How a House Can Change a Life—PETA’s Doghouse Program in Action

Whether it’s Christmas, New Year’s Day, or a Saturday when the temperatures have dipped below freezing, PETA staffers and volunteers are outside delivering dry, fluffy straw bedding and warm wooden doghouses to “backyard dogs” who are forced to spend the holidays—and every day in between—outside and alone. In 2021, we delivered 160 doghouses and almost 1,300 bales of straw and received thousands of sloppy kisses in return:

Each winter when it freezes, many dogs struggle to keep warm and have no choice but to curl up into a tight ball and shiver. Left outside alone in the mud and snow, the dogs even go without water when it freezes in their bowls—if they had any water to begin with, that is.

When PETA delivers straw to “backyard dogs,” we urge their guardians to allow the dogs to live indoors. But changing attitudes takes time. In the meantime, we supply sturdy, elevated doghouses with a plastic flap over the door and a slanted roof in order to provide protection not just from the winter cold but also from the blazing summer sun.

With your help, we can reach even more families and provide more dogs with shelter in 2022. Watch PETA’s doghouse program in action, and help us make 2022 the best year for dogs yet!