Group Warns Viewers: Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' ChancesFor Immediate Release:
For Immediate Release:
February 9, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 757-622-7382
Pittsburgh — Area viewers tuning in to ABC affiliate WTAE-TV this week will get a glimpse of the darker side of the Westminster Dog Show, courtesy of PETA, as the animal rights group airs its edgy new TV spot "Everyday Dogs." The ad—which will air during the week leading up to the USA Network's broadcast of the pageant—shows the result of breeding and buying pedigree dogs: dead shelter dogs. The ad was originally accepted by Comcast to run on the USA Network before the company rescinded its acceptance, calling the spot "too graphic."
In the darkly humorous spot, available here, people try to interact with their dogs, but in each scene, "man's best friend" is in a body bag, and their guardians' attempts to engage them fall flat. As the spot ends, the screen reads, "If you buy a dog, what will you do with the shelter dog you kill?" Pittsburgh PETA member Diane Brady sponsored the cost of airing the ad, which will run 15 times between today and Tuesday, February 15.
"We hope that 'Everyday Dogs' reminds viewers that for every dog purchased from a breeder, a shelter dog ends up in a body bag," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "We encourage everyone who wants to add a loving animal to his or her family to visit a local animal shelter and save a life—not take one."
The Westminster Dog Show promotes the breeding of dogs despite the fact that a whopping 8 million animals—including many "purebreds" (themselves a mix of various breeds purposely bred for flat noses, big chests, a keen sense of smell, or a curly coat)—are abandoned at animal shelters every year and that approximately 4 million of those animals must be euthanized because there simply aren't enough good homes to go around. Buying a cat or dog from a pet store or breeder condemns to death an animal awaiting adoption in a shelter.
For more information or to view the ad, please visit PETA.org or click here.