Written by Michelle Kretzer
Poignant words on when animals die, sticking it to Ringling and its torture sticks, and a treat for extreme couponers: It's everything you might have missed this week.
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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."
Written by Jeff Mackey
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
The BBC has announced—in a momentous victory for dogs everywhere—that it will no longer broadcast coverage of the Kennel Club's Crufts dog show. Crufts is the British equivalent of the American Kennel Club's Westminster Dog Show with all the attendant hype and fuss and dogs in crates.
BBC officials have learned that "purebreds" entered into dog shows are genetically predisposed to debilitating diseases caused by generations of inbreeding. And it's all in an attempt to make sure that the dogs who are bred for money are the best "specimens" in town. Kudos to the BBC for taking a stand for dogs!
Apparently USA Network (which broadcasts Westminster Dog Show every February here in the states) hasn't yet gotten the memo that "breedism" is a thing of the past. Remember last year's winner, Uno? As a beagle, Uno has a significantly higher risk of hypothyroidism, demodectic mange, umbilical hernia, epilepsy, eye and eyelid problems, cryptorchidism, hip dysplasia, intervertebral disk disease, and luxating patella. Now what ribbon does that deserve?
Written by Liz Graffeo
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