Pop-Metal Band Melrose Avenue Are ‘Angels for Animals’ in New Pro-Adoption peta2 Campaign
For Immediate Release:
April 20, 2026
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
In the midst of their nationwide tour, pop-metalcore hitmakers Melrose Avenue, who just dropped their new single “Bad Guy,” prove they’re anything but in a new campaign for peta2, part of PETA’s youth division, calling on everyone to “be an angel” for animals by always adopting and never buying animals from pet shops or breeders.
In an accompanying video spot, the band says adopting animals “means giving them the loving, permanent home that they deserve,” then introduces all of their beloved companion animals—including vocalist Vlado Saric’s cat, guitarist Shawn Mayer’s dog, drummer Jed McIntosh’s five dogs, and guitarist Mitchell Black’s two adopted rabbit siblings—one of whom, Austin, is immortalized in a portrait tattoo just above his wrist.
U.S. shelters are bursting at the seams, and every time a breeder sells a puppy, a dog waiting in an animal shelter or struggling to survive on the streets loses a chance at finding a loving home. As Saric points out in the video, “We made sure to adopt our animals and not buy them. When someone buys an animal from a pet store or a breeder, another animal gets bred to take their place.”
“So if you’re ready to take care of an animal, remember: adopt, don’t shop,” Mayer concludes.
Melrose Avenuejoins a long list of musicians—including The Home Team, Davey Havok of AFI, Asking Alexandria, Jhene Aiko, Rise Against, Scott Shriner of Weezer, and Pierce the Veil—who’ve teamed up with peta2 to promote kindness to animals.
peta2—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers young people positive, empowering actions to help animals. For more information, please visit peta2.com or follow peta2 on TikTok or Instagram.
