Ecorazzi

PETA has stepped up their campaign to educate people on the dangers of leaving pets unattended in hot cars. The group re-released an ad featuring American Idol judge Simon Cowell after a dog perished in a car waiting for its owner to return from an audition for the television reality show in Denver. From the LA Times,

Vanderbilt had driven with his girlfriend from North Dakota for the open audition and left the dog, a small terrier, in the car with the windows rolled up.  He had apparently planned to check on the animal periodically throughout the day, but neglected to do so until 2 p.m., by which time the car had been parked in hot weather for a number of hours.  When Vanderbilt arrived to check on the dog, it was already dead.

Vanderbilt has since been charged with animal cruelty and given an August 20 court date for his negligence. Check out Cowell’s ad on the dangers of keeping pets in hot cars after the jump below: