PETA Global 2019 Issue 4

BALL PLAYERS THESE CHAMPION WON DOGS’ ♥ HEARTS (AND PETA’S)

PETA’s Doghouse Program Provides Lifesaving Shelter FourWalls and a‘Woof’

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Donations photo: © iStock.com/PJPhoto69 • Polaroid: © iStock.com/blackred

Gimme Shelter...

S an Antonio Spurs guard Lonnie Walker knows that dogs shouldn’t be chained outside – or left in hot cars. He feels so strongly about the issue that he even locked himself in a sweltering car for a PETA video. As the interior temperature soars to 109°F (42.7°C) in just minutes, Lonnie sweats profusely, gasps for air, and becomes dizzy. Finally, he exits the vehicle – an option unavailable to dogs, who, in addition, can’t perspire to cool themselves down. Leaving them in a parked car in warm weather, even just for a moment, is never a good idea. Olympic gold medalist and Washington Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne scores a slam dunk for homeless pups in a new PETA ad with her canine family member, Rasta. She encourages caring people to adopt from shelters and never to patronize breeders or pet stores. FIFA Women’s World Cup champs Alex Morgan and Christen Press also champion the cause of adopting homeless dogs. “There are so many animals on the streets and so many animals that aren’t able to live the life that they should be able to live,” Alex says. Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Devin Funchess’ favorite workout partner isn’t an elite personal trainer – it’s a beloved dog named Chapo. Devin treats his pup like a star, so when PETA showed him the shocking video “100 Pit Bulls in 100 Seconds” – which features dogs PETA’s fieldworkers have found chained in deplorable conditions – he signed up to help. He (and Chapo) joined the campaign to urge everyone to let dogs live indoors and to treat them with respect. “Neglecting and chaining of your dog doesn’t make you tough,” Devin says. “I mean, I’m an NFL player. I’m not so tough when it comes to Chapo. I bring him inside, I love on him, and I just give him whatever he needs.” These athletes are part of an “all-star” team advocating for dogs, including NFL players Tyrann Mathieu, Chris Harris Jr., Antoine Bethea, and Ronnie Stanley as well as professional footballers Chris Smalling and Darren Randolph.

F aith was treated like trash – literally. The young pit bull’s only shelter was an overturned garbage can – until PETA came along. That’s when she became one of the 7,264 dogs so far who have received free, custom-built PETA doghouses to provide themwith lifesaving protection fromwinter cold snaps and the scorching summer sun. Imagine if Your Only Home Were a Cabinet Every week, PETA’s fieldworkers find and help dogs who are chained or penned outdoors 24/7, with nothing but a drafty plastic carrier, an overturned barrel, or a ramshackle assortment of junk for “shelter.” Life is miserable for them, and in extreme weather, their lack of adequate shelter can be deadly. PETA works to make such treatment illegal, but in some jurisdictions, even government officials keep their dogs this way. Robo had no choice but to huddle in a rickety old cabinet with a chain wrapped directly around his neck, metal to flesh. PETA’s fieldworkers replaced his heavy chain with a collar and a lightweight tie-out and gave him a real doghouse to curl up in. They still visit regularly to make sure he’s OK – or, at least, that things aren’t getting any worse. Some dogs – like Duke, a pug mix found tied up outside an abandoned house in subfreezing temperatures – have no shelter whatsoever. He probably wouldn’t have survived much longer if a PETA fieldworker making doghouse deliveries hadn’t miraculously spotted him amid a cluster of garbage cans, piles of drink containers, and an abandoned car. PETA enlisted the help of the local sheriff’s department to confiscate the little dog, and today he’s living the warm, cozy, indoor life that he has always deserved. Stuffed With Straw and Built to Last PETA’s fieldworkers always counsel people on proper animal care and urge them to let their dogs live indoors and to treat them as family members – and some do. But most refuse, so fieldworkers do everything they can to improve the animals’ lives and protect them from the elements. In addition, doghouse recipients get “housewarming gifts” of toys and treats as well as a supply of straw bedding, which PETA also gives away in its parking lot all winter long, to help fend off the cold. The fieldworkers try to visit the dogs regularly to check on their health, replenish their straw, and dole out food, toys, and much-needed attention. No doghouse can ever make up for the love that these lonely, neglected dogs are deprived of, but for some, like Faith and Robo, it can provide enough warmth on a freezing night to mean the difference between life and death. Take Action Now Visit PETA.org/Doghouse to support PETA’s doghouse program: $265 will cover the cost of one house, but a gift of any size will help change a dog’s life. Thank you!

Alex Morgan: © Photo: Rich Johnson | Hair & Makeup: Jillian Caro • Devin Funchess: © Darin Holiday • Elena Dell Donne: © Photo:Adedayo Kosoko | Hair and Makeup:Ana B

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DUKE THEN

DUKE NOW

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ROBO THEN

You can score Blue's bandana and Lonnie's T-shirt at PETA.org/Store .

ROBO NOW

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FAITH THEN

FAITH NOW

Take Action Now Want to sign up to make a difference for chained dogs? Please visit PETA.org/Chaining .

Global 19

18

HOUSING CRISIS