Written by Jeff Mackey
Update 2:
Well, the results are in, and the friends of felines have carried the day: The new Monopoly token will be a cat—inspired by a real-life rescued kitty (see below)—to replace the older iron token.
Thank you to all you Monopoly fans who cast your votes in recognition of the fact that no one wins when people breed and buy animals. Remember: The best way to show more than a token interest in helping homeless cats is always to adopt them from shelters or rescues and make sure they're spayed or neutered.
Update:
Following PETA's appeal to replace the current purebred "Scottie dog" token in Monopoly with one representing a rescued mutt (see original post below), Hasbro Gaming Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader Eric Nyman responded in a letter to PETA, saying:
Among the options for the new token is a cat. This token and its design was inspired in part by a cat named Shadow, who was rescued by one of our employees. Shadow recently passed away, so we are thrilled to pay homage to her by using her as inspiration for one of our potential new Monopoly tokens.
You can vote for the new cat token here.
Originally posted on January 16th:
Monopoly players can be fanatical about their token of choice—I always have to play as the dog. Now, Hasbro is shaking things up with plans to retire one of the traditional Monopoly tokens, with the decision based on online voting. It looks like the little pooch will make the cut, so PETA is urging the company to make another change that could save real dogs by altering the token's look and referring to it as a "rescued mutt" instead of a purebred "Scottie dog."
Breeding Hurts—and Kills
How would this switch help dogs? Including a dog who is clearly a mixed breed would remind players that these canines are just as lovable, loyal, and deserving as any purebred and that every time someone chooses to buy a dog from a pet store or breeder, a homeless animal loses his or her chance at finding a home. For millions of dogs in shelters, there is no "Get out of jail free" card. Approximately half of the 6 to 8 million animals who enter shelters every year are euthanized, largely for lack of a good home.
Purebred dogs are also more likely to suffer from debilitating conditions and painful congenital disorders. Scotties, for example, are often affected by a hereditary disorder called "Scotty cramp," which can significantly impair their ability to run or even walk normally. Because they are not bred to produce specific physical traits, mixed-breed dogs have a lower risk for respiratory problems, bone disease, hemophilia, cataracts, hip dysplasia, and other disorders.
What You Can Do
Please never buy any animal from a breeder or pet store. Instead, give a shelter mutt a "Chance"—you'll gain a wonderful companion while also helping to alleviate animal overpopulation, which causes so much misery.
Written by Michelle Kretzer
You may recall the protesters who took to the center ring at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show a couple of years ago. Well, it happened again earlier today just as the judge stepped up to announce which dog was "Best in Show." Two animal advocates rushed toward the ring with signs reading, "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances" and "Have a Heart: Adopt, Don't Buy."
The protesters' point? Members of the Westminster Kennel Club continue to promote and breed "purebred" dogs, while millions of wonderful mixed-breed dogs die in animal shelters every year simply because they don't have a home. Every purebred litter takes homes away from other dogs waiting desperately in shelters as well as increasing the homeless population because one-quarter of purebreds will also be abandoned and end up in shelters.
As long as shelter dogs are dying for lack of a good home, there is no such thing as a "responsible breeder."
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show may have gotten wind of our plan to take over its Facebook page because the puppy pimps quickly shut the page down. Were they afraid that people would learn exactly how the annual spectacle's shameless promotion of purebred dogs encourages people to support breeding and deters many from adopting wonderful mixed-breed dogs from animal shelters? Yep, I'd say that was it.
Never ones to be easily silenced, we've created an album of beautiful mixed-breed dogs on our own Facebook page that everyone can share to spread the message that rescued dogs rock.
Given America's reputation as a melting pot, there's something very off-kilter, elitist, and, well, un-American about Westminster's relentless pushing of purebreds. Millions of American mutts die in our nation's crowded pounds and animal shelters every year because of a lack of good homes—even though they're every bit as gorgeous, sweet, and loyal as (and generally healthier than) their purebred cousins.
If you're the proud guardian of a Great American Mutt, we hope you'll tell the world about it by sharing photos of your best bud and these other American originals on Facebook. And if you're considering adding a dog to your household, please think "mutt." Like the guardians of these stars, you'll be glad you did!
Written by PETA
Pusuke, who held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living dog, died in Japan on December 5, 2011. He was 26 years and 9 months old. He was also a mutt. Coincidence? Not likely.
Mixed-breed dogs like Pusuke tend to be healthier than their "purebred" cousins, because purebreds are often inbred and bred for certain unnatural and exaggerated physical traits. These harmful practices cause many purebred animals to suffer painful and life-threatening genetic defects, including crippling hip dysplasia, blindness, deafness, heart defects, skin problems, epilepsy, and others.
Ready to give an animal a long, happy life? Increase the odds that your animal companion will be part of your family for many, many years and save a life by adopting a lovable, healthy mutt from your local animal shelter.
After receiving a ton of endearing, funny, interesting, odd, and clever submissions for our contest asking how you would like to rename "mutts" with a moniker that celebrates rescued dogs' uniqueness and diversity, we've narrowed the list to four terms, and the pollsters are ready to start tallying the votes.
The winning name will be made into a bumper sticker reading, "I ♥ my ____," that will be sold at PETA's CafePress store. But the smarty who submitted the winning term will snag a free sticker, along with a gift basket brimming with goodies for their pedigree-free pup.
Stay tuned to see which name will claim the fame!
Poll closes December 12th and winner will be notified by December 15th.
We know where Bill Maher got the shirt that he wore to perform at George Washington University—'cause we made it. Lookin' good, Bill.
© Michelle Rattinger/ GW Hatchet.
Speaking of making it: After becoming the first vegan to win a Food Network cooking competition, chef Chloe Coscarelli is still on a (vegan-buttered) roll, making the world a better place for animals and our waistlines. Check out her scrumptious new recipes on Eatocracy.
Anna Wintour took some heat for being cold-hearted enough to wear several cold-blooded animals on her back. "She looks like she got that at a consignment store where pimps drop their coats off," said E! news anchor Giuliana Rancic.
Another proud animal friend who's "still right here" is Melissa Ferrick, who is currently on tour promoting her new album. The adoption advocate would love what Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan, are up to—the couple adopted a pair of cats their friend found in a bush.
Cats don't belong in the wild, but elephants certainly do, according to Coldplay, whose new video features the band members dressed up as elephants searching for "Paradise."
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Forget Brett Favre's, ahem, revealing texts—I'd much rather see Dallas Cowboy Martellus Bennett's revealing new PETA interview. Check out this tenderhearted tight end as he talks about everything from Mozart to the merits of mutts.
Can I get a collective "Aww"? Now that Martellus has inspired you to help animals, how about sponsoring a doghouse? FYI—it's for a needy outdoor dog, not Favre.
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
Here's yet another good reason to give breeders a wide berth and adopt a mutt: Some of the most common breeds of dog are the most prone to cancer, if you go by claims filed with the companion animal insurance company Trupanion. Boxers rank first on the cancer scale, followed by German shepherds, golden retrievers, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers.
Many other health problems plague "purebreds," including crippling hip dysplasia, blindness, deafness, heart defects, skin problems, epilepsy, difficulty breathing (in pugs, bulldogs, and other breeds with unnaturally short noses), and screamingly painful disc disease (common in dachshunds, who have long spines). Breeders' common practices of mating dogs who are related and breeding dogs for specific, distorted physical features are to blame. We can lessen our chance of losing a beloved companion too early (and save a life!) by adopting a hardy Heinz 57.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
What is the number-one thing that you need to know about hilarious hottie Bradley Cooper?
I'll give you a hint: His steely blues and that off-kilter smile don't have anything to do with it.
"I have two beautiful dogs … I cherish. Samson is a 14-year-old German short hair pointer and Charlotte is a 6 or 7 year-old Chow Retriever mix. They are both rescue dogs and they are the best … I'm sort of a hybrid of both my dogs. Samson is stoic and makes me earn it and Charlotte loves me undyingly. They're my kids."
There are four other "must know" items on People.com, but learning that the star of The Hangover is making room in his heart and his home for a few of the 8 million dogs and cats who are abandoned at animal shelters each year is more than enough to make this gal swoon.
Written by Shawna Flavell
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner has to have a lot on his mind right now. With the Super Bowl right around the corner, he's gotta be fully focused on taking the Cards to their first "Big Dance." And stress? Not only is he feeling pressure to bring home some more Super Bowl bling, but his wife and kids are also pressuring him to bring home a dog.
According to a recent article, good ol' Kurt allegedly promised his family that they could get a dog if the Cards win the Super Bowl. While Warner doesn't seem quite ready to bow to their request for a new bow-wow yet, wife Brenda isn't backing down. And neither are we. Recently, our sports aficionado Dan Shannon penned a missive to Warner asking him to consider adopting a dog from an animal shelter.
"The Cardinals have been called an underdog all season, so I think you'll easily sympathize with the 'underdogs' staring out from the shelter kennels, longing for someone to take them home and love them," writes Dan in the letter.
Our advice to Kurt? Watch out for the blitz, don't get on Anquan Boldin's bad side, and avoid getting tackled by or tangled up in Polamalu's hair. And if you do win, skip Disneyland and take the kiddies to your local animal shelter instead. If you don't win, head to the shelter anyways. Nothing mends a broken heart like the love of a good mutt.
Written by Amy Elizabeth
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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