As temperatures drop near or below freezing in many parts of the country, the last place dogs should be is outside in the bitter cold. That´s why hip-hop industry legend Russell Simmons has taken time out of his jam-packed schedule to record a PSA urging everyone to bring their dogs inside where they belong.

Listen Up to Russell's New PSA
“Imagine being forced to live in the back yard in the bitter cold or chained to a pole all night long so you couldn´t move around,” Russell says. “Sometimes we forget that animals suffer just like us—they can feel the same pain that we do.” He´s right. When animals are left outside they can suffer from frostbite, exposure, and dehydration when their water freezes. Sometimes they straight-up freeze to death.

“Most likely, your dogs would do anything for you—the least you could do is bring them inside and make them part of your family,” Russell says. Dogs are pack animals who want to be together, just like us, and they suffer from stress and loneliness when they´re stuck outside at the end of a chain or caged up in a small pen or kennel. In fact, if we had to come up with the worst possible torture for dogs, solitary confinement would most likely be it. So, as Russell put it: “Bring your dogs inside. Leaving them outside does not make them tougher or smarter or better. It just makes you a jerk. … Your dogs deserve a better life. Your dogs are your family.”

“It´s real simple: Treat your animals with respect. … If you´re not respecting your animal, you´re not respecting yourself.” Thanks, Russell—we couldn´t have said it better ourselves. If you have dogs, cats, or any other animals, please don´t leave them outside to suffer. Bring them inside and treat them the way you would want to be treated.