Make ‘Eloise’s’ Weenie a Mutt! PETA Urges Ryan Reynolds to Leave Breathing-Impaired Pugs Out of Book’s Live-Action Adaptation

For Immediate Release:
November 6, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Following the news that actor Ryan Reynolds will produce and star in a new live-action adaptation of the classic children’s book “Eloise”—and because it would be rawther lovely to make Eloise’s companion, Weenie, an adopted mutt rather than a pug, who is a breathing-impaired breed (BIB)—PETA today sent a letter to Reynolds asking him to leave pugs out of the picture and help promote animal adoption.

As PETA points out, pugs and other BIBs are deliberately bred to have extremely flat faces and abnormally small airways—all of which can lead to a lifetime of discomfort, medical problems, and an early death. Pugs are 54 times more likely than other breeds to suffer from a debilitating respiratory disease called brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, which leaves them constantly gasping and struggling to get enough air into their lungs. And when films and television shows popularize a certain breed—as Legally Blonde did with Chihuahuas, for example—puppy mills and breeders jump to cash in on the increased demand and churn out puppies, while wonderful homeless dogs in shelters lose their chance at finding a loving family.

“Eloise may only be 6, but even she would understand that forcing a breathing-impaired dog to perform in a film would be bad, bad, bad, and would send the wrong message to young fans who may want to buy their very own pugs,” says PETA Director of Animals in Film and Television Lauren Thomasson. “PETA is encouraging Ryan Reynolds to help combat the homeless animal crisis by making one of Eloise’s closest companions an adopted mutt.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Reynolds follows.

Dear Ryan,

As the star and producer of the upcoming Eloise live-action film for Netflix, you’re in a position to help dogs who desperately need it and we at PETA – along with our more than 10.4 million members and supporters worldwide – hope you will. 

For the sake of pugs who have been bred to suffer from the uncomfortable, debilitating, and sometimes fatal breathing condition known as Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS), please won’t you make Weenie an adopted mutt instead, which would also promote animal adoption and help combat the animal homelessness crisis?

Pugs are a Breathing-Impaired Breed (BIB), which means that they’ve been bred to have such extremely flat faces and “smushed-in” snouts that there is no longer enough room in their skulls to accommodate normal, healthy airways. As a result, they are 54 times more likely than other breeds to suffer from BOAS, which is the leading cause of death for them. This condition leaves many Pugs struggling just to breathe and makes going for a walk, chasing a ball, running, and playing—the things that make dogs’ lives joyful and fulfilling—impossible. Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College who studied disease prevalence in Pugs concluded that they can “no longer be considered a typical dog from a health perspective.”

Please consider that when Kay Thompson’s Eloise was first published in 1955, the pug was a very different dog, not yet so inbred to have such dramatic deformities as they do today.

It’s also no secret that audiences rush to get the breeds they fall in love with on screen and making Weenie an adopted mutt would help prevent that. Legally Blonde helped popularize Chihuahuas and Game of Thrones did the same for Huskies—adoring fans wanted their very own Bruisers and “dire wolves,” and shelters reported spikes in their intake of Chihuahuas and Huskies once the novelty wore off.

And one more request, when you make the kind decision to feature an adopted mutt instead of a purebred dog, will you please only use a cast or crew member’s real-life companion? This will help ensure the dog has a real home to return to when filming wraps, rather than being left to languish at a seedy supplier training compound. You’d be in good company:Tim Burton, Tilda Swinton, Tessa Thompson, Robert De Niro, Bridget Everett, and Bradley Cooper, among others, have all worked with their own dogs on projects!

Thank you for your time and consideration, Ryan. We’re here to help and would be happy to meet with you. We look forward to your response.

Best regards,

Lauren Thomasson

Director | Animals in Film and Television

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)