New England Patriots midfielder Donta Hightower knows the word cold, with the average cold at his home stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, at 24.1 degrees. Thus, PETA knew that the three-time Super Bowl champion and his dog Meco, who Dont’a fondly called “the best dog of all time” in typical canine dad fashion, was the perfect athlete to join our campaign to help abandoned dogs forced to live. outside in the cold.
“It deprives them of what they need. I mean, they are also loving and caring animals. They need it as much as we do. … And I mean if I’m cold, I know my dog is frozen.
—Dont’a Hightower
In his exclusive video, PETA Dont addresses Patriot fans directly, saying, “I hope you guys love your dog as much as Patriot does.” Whether you’re a New England fan or don’t care about football, Dont’s message is compassionate anyone who decides to look after a dog or any other companion animal. He has joined a long roster of professional athletes, including Tyranne Mathieu, Cam Newton and Alex Morgan, who have joined PETA to advocate for animals.
All dogs should be able to breathe fresh air and explore all the smells of nature under the supervision of their guardian, but they should also be protected and live indoors with their families. Millions of dogs across the country do not get this relief because their “home” is a piece of land on the street. They are forced to eat, sleep and relax outdoors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no matter how unbearably hot or cold, and whether it is snowing or pouring rain.
“You’re too cold, your dog is too cold.”
—Dont’a Hightower
PETA specialists visit and care for these dogs daily in all weather conditions. They respond to calls for help from people living in some of the poorest communities in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, where animals often have no one to help.
As part of the Dont’a campaign, PETA is launching a billboard with its beautiful advertisement in our service area. To learn more about the work of PETA field researchers in helping dogs and educating their guardians in the region, watch the documentary Breaking the chain, produced by Oscar-winning actor Angelica Houston.
“I think whatever you stand for or believe in starts with awareness. It all starts with the voice. No matter how big or small your voice is, the voice is the voice, and once the voice is heard, you can only multiply it. And that’s part of what awareness is – to get it. “
—Dont’a Hightower
During the cold winter months, “street dogs” struggle to keep warm and have no choice but to curl up in a ball and shiver — or shift from paw to paw to escape the cold ground. When temperatures drop, PETA field workers see dogs doing similar things every day. The animals they visit are kept in chains or open-air pens, deprived of adequate food, water, shelter, veterinary care and the love of the whole family. Dogs are social pack animals that suffer terribly when kept in isolation in the open air, without the companionship and companionship they crave.
You can help
Help PETA end animal homelessness by adopting animals, if you’re ready for a lifetime commitment, never buy one, always neuter or neuter your companion animals, and urging officials to pass laws against tying, breeding, and selling animals in pet stores. If you ever witness animal cruelty, stop it if you can do it safely, or at least report it.
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