A warm summer day can spell death in just minutes for a dog trapped in a hot car. Help us prevent the next tragedy: Donate now to help save dogs and other animals.

Dear Friend,

In a crowded store parking lot, a dog is left in a car "for just a few minutes."

The temperature rapidly climbs to well over 100 degrees inside the vehicle, and the animal frantically claws at the doors and windows, trying to escape, hoping that someone—anyone—can stop their misery before they literally bake to death.

This year, 30 dogs and cats have already died from this preventable tragedy—and those are only the cases that have been reported. It's estimated that HUNDREDS of animals will die in hot vehicles before the year ends. We need your help today to prevent more animals from ever suffering through this living hell.

Please, donate right now and boost our work for dogs and other animals. Even $5 helps.

On a 90-degree day, the temperature inside a hot car can soar to 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Dogs, who can cool themselves only by panting, will rapidly succumb to heatstroke inside a vehicle, even if it's parked in the shade.

That's why we need your help to fund PETA's work to inform everyone about the danger of leaving dogs and other animals in hot cars. Protecting them from the scorching heat of summer is about more than community outreach—it's a matter of life and death.

Your contribution to PETA today will help us do even more for animals at risk.

For weeks now, we've been telling you how PETA's Community Animal Project is helping "backyard dogs" survive the scorching-hot summer days by providing them with sturdy doghouses. This vital program has given thousands of neglected dogs relief, but it's not the only way PETA is working to ensure that dogs don't become victims of the deadly summer heat.

Our videos and advertisements featuring Simon Cowell, Tyrann Mathieu, and other celebrities warning about the dangers of leaving animals in hot cars along with our "Too Hot for Spot" billboards and advertisements in major magazines are being seen by millions. The awareness that we've raised has helped persuade some of the country's largest commercial real estate companies and retailers to display warning signs in parking lots and on store entrances to remind drivers about the deadly dangers of hot vehicles.

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal highlighted one of our latest initiatives in a story on PETA's current work with child-safety advocates to support new federal legislation that would require automakers to install devices that can detect if an animal or child has been left in a car. This legislation could save the lives of animals and children.

Your gift—just $5, or whatever you can afford—will keep this and all our other vital work for companion animals going strong.

Please don't wait. It can take just minutes for a dog trapped in a hot car to experience an agonizing death from heatstroke, but by taking a few moments right now, you can help us prevent hundreds of animals from enduring this tragedy. Thank you.

Kind regards,

Daphna Nachminovitch
Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations
PETA

P.S. If you see a dog left alone inside a hot car, don't wait! Call local humane officials or the police immediately. If the authorities are unresponsive or too slow and the dog's life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness and remove the suffering animal from the vehicle while you wait for authorities to arrive. To help you prepare for these life and death emergencies, we're offering a special window-breaking hammer when you make a gift of $100 or more through this e-mail.