The holidays may be a time when people make wish lists filled with their latest “must haves,” but all that dogs left outside 24/7 without adequate protection from winter’s worst want for Christmas is a safe place to sleep, a nourishing meal, and the love of a family.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk received a call about such a dog during a Christmas ice storm a few years ago. A cold young pup had been severely injured by a car and made her way into a backyard. To the yard’s owners, the dog was a nuisance to be removed rather than someone who desperately needed their help. Without PETA’s assistance, that dog would likely have died on the spot—alone and in pain.

Hear Ingrid’s Story About the Dog Who Wandered Into the Backyard of Some Grinches

So many other dogs are still outside in the cold, waiting for someone to fulfill their meager wishes. One dog, named Dior, was beyond grateful when PETA’s kind rescue workers replaced the plastic airline crate she was forced to call home with a sturdy, insulated PETA doghouse! You, too, can be a dog’s hero this Christmas by putting a woof over a cold canine’s head.

Many of this year’s holiday gifts will eventually end up in a landfill, but a cold dog’s gratitude for shelter from the frigid winter weather will last a lifetime.