Shameless star Emma Kenney is turning up the heat this summer in a new video rant for PETA in which the 18-year-old actor reminds everyone that leaving a dog in a hot car is “basically like putting your pup in a toaster oven.”
“A person would have to be entirely thoughtless, completely heartless, and utterly shameless,” says Kenney. “[W]hile you were safely inside ordering your obnoxiously long iced-coffee order, death could be knocking on your car’s scalding-hot door.”
Temperatures can quickly soar in parked cars, and a dog trapped inside can die from heatstroke within minutes — even if the car is in the shade with the windows slightly open. “So, come on, people, please! Please leave your dogs out of hot cars!” Kenney concludes. “Or I might just lose my f***ing cool.”
PETA urges anyone who sees a dog left alone inside a hot car to call local humane authorities or the police and stay on the scene until the situation has been resolved. If the authorities are unresponsive and/or the dog’s life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness (or several) who will back up your assessment and remove the suffering animal from the car. PETA offers an emergency hammer for use in such life-or-death situations.
