If you’re like me, your iPod is full of 80s pop music. I enjoy the music so much that it’s tough for me when it turns out that an 80s icon isn’t so animal-friendly. (Madonna and Michael, I’m talking about you.) So my heart leapt just a little when I heard about the Pet Shop Boys’ reaction to the letter that they received from our friends at PETA Europe.
Recently, a European PETA entity wrote to the Pet Shop Boys to suggest that they change their name to the “Rescue Shelter Boys.” It’s got a nice ring to it, right? PETA Europe let the duo know that dogs and cats sold in pet shops come from breeders who often keep animals in cramped, filthy conditions and that many animals sold in pet shops suffer from inbreeding, genetic weaknesses, physical deformities, or behavioral disorders. By changing their name, the would-be-Rescue Shelter Boys could raise awareness about the cruelty of the pet trade at every tour stop.
Unfortunately, the Boys turned down the name-change proposal, but they decided to alert their fans to this important issue in another way—by posting the letter on the front page of their Web site! They even say, “The organisation PETA Europe, dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals, has written to Pet Shop Boys with a request they are unable to agree to but nonetheless think raises an issue worth thinking about.”
As if you needed another reason to love the Pet Shop Boys besides “West End Girls.”
Written by Shawna Flavell
