Jane Lynch Asks USA Network to Include PETA Message in Westminster

For Immediate Release:
February 1, 2001

Contact:
Ashley Gonzalez 757-622-7382

New York -- "Although I played an ambitious dog trainer in Best in Show, in real life I wouldn't go near the Westminster Dog Show," writes Glee star Jane Lynch. "That's why I'm asking the USA Network to please air PETA's 'Everyday Dogs' public service announcement (PSA) during your Westminster coverage so that viewers will know the real consequences of buying animals rather than adopting from shelters."

Executives at the USA Network received this pointed letter yesterday. As the Golden Globe winner explains in the letter, the Westminster Dog Show promotes the breeding of dogs even as millions in animal shelters are dying for homes.

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 PSA closes, the screen reads, "If you buy a dog, what will you do with the shelter dog you kill?"

Jane Lynch's letter to USA Network Manager Heather Cestaro follows. For more information, please visit PETA.org.

January 31, 2011

Heather Cestaro
Manager of Corporate Community Affairs
USA Network
 

Dear Ms. Cestaro,

Although I played an ambitious dog trainer in Best in Show, in real life I wouldn’t go near the Westminster Dog Show because it promotes the breeding of animals even as millions are dying for homes in shelters. That’s why I’m asking the USA Network to please air PETA’s “Everyday Dogs” public service announcement (PSA) during your Westminster coverage so that viewers will know the real consequences of buying animals rather than adopting from shelters.

Every time a Westminster viewer rushes out to a pet store or breeder to purchase a dog like the one he or she saw prancing around at Madison Square Garden, a dog in a shelter joins the more than 4 million animals who must be euthanized each year because of a lack of good homes. My friends at PETA and I hope that you’ll give your viewers the whole story during the Westminster broadcast by airing “Everyday Dogs,”  which shows people walking, playing Frisbee, and going on road trips with their dogs—who, unfortunately, are in body bags. The PSA closes with the question “If you buy a dog, what will you do with the shelter dog you kill?”

Thank you for your consideration. I can be reached through PETA’s Michelle Cho at [contact information redacted].

Sincerely,

Jane Lynch