Ad Junked After Company Receives Thousands of E-Mails From PETA Members About the Cruelty of Chaining Dogs

Basking Ridge, N.J. -- A bouquet of flowers from PETA with a heartfelt thank-you note is on its way to Verizon's executive headquarters in Basking Ridge, N.J. That's because the communications giant has pulled a cell phone ad that had the animal rights group--and dog lovers across the country--howling mad. The ad featured two growling, chained pit bulls guarding a junkyard. PETA contacted Verizon about the ad's damaging message after PETA's phones began ringing off the hook with complaints from across the country, but Verizon failed to respond. So PETA issued an action alert, which generated more than 7,000 e-mails to Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg and the company's executive director of media relations, Brenda Raney. Two days after PETA contacted Verizon, the company pulled the ad.

Why does chaining dogs makes PETA's hair stand on end? Chaining dogs--who are highly social pack animals--is dangerous because it deprives them of the social interaction that they need and can make them overly aggressive. Dogs need a life, companionship, and room to run. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that chained dogs are nearly three times more likely to attack than dogs who are not chained. PETA maintains an extensive list of incidents in which children have been mauled or killed after wandering within reach of chained dogs or encountering dogs who have broken free from chains.

For more information, please visit PETA's Web site HelpingAnimals.com or visit PETA's blog <http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/07/victory_verizon.php> .