Perhaps this should be in MPSIMS, not sure I can work up all the colorful insults needed for a good pitting. But I figured someone else might so I may as well start this off in the pit.
Their new marketing ploy was an ad in the back of the Dog Fancy magazine for a free puppy gift bag. When you call the number it says they will send you a body bag to represent the dog in an animal shelter that died because they didn’t adopt it and bought a purebred puppy instead. Apparently, some people don’t listen to the actual message and just left their address for their free gift because PETA says they’ve sent out about 70 bags so far.
I don’t think they understand that marketing to people does not mean the same thing as alienating people. People reading Dog Fancy either already own purebred dogs and are going to stick with owning purebreds or they are reading the magazine at the vet’s office where they are already waiting with their dog. if you want to educate people to adopt from shelters instead of breeders or pet stores try getting to them before they get their new pet.
I think what bugs me most about PETA is that they could be an organization that works for real change in animal rights and treatment but they went so far off the mark they are a joke and they make all other animal rights organizations suffer from being compared to them.
Agreed. Their tactics cause them so much harm that most people won’t even hear out what they are standing up against. And since this is the pit, fuck Dog Fancy!
I disagree. PETA leaders are radicals and they don’t want to convince people that their beliefs are right. They just want to get in people’s faces and shout “You are wrong, you murderer!” as often as possible.
I hate PETA. I actually would be up for a few things that they argue for- such as more humane housing for the animals we use, better treatment of animals such as racehorses (I think they should be a little older when they start racing). I support free range chickens and other animals, and try to buy my make up cruelty free. But, still, their stunts are largely ridiculous.
And they ignore the fact that many of the animals in shelters are purebreds, who were given up for legitimate reasons (or in some cases unlegitimate reasons). Idjits.
P*TA is totally insane. The published something a while back called “Your Daddy Kills Animals” that contain quotes such as “Since your daddy is teaching you the wrong lessons about right and wrong, you should teach him fishing is killing. Until your daddy learns it’s not fun to kill, keep your doggies and kitties away from him. He’s so hooked on killing defenseless animals, they could be next.”
Last time I checked, teaching a kid to fish is far more constructive and beneficial than filling their heads with first rate nonsense.
I don’t really put much blame on them, they can’t possibly check out every ad, they may have thought it was legit, but they did decide to pull the ad once they found out what it was.
BTW, I heard this on the news so I forgot to dig up a cite.
I used to have a subscription to Cat Fancy, despite the fact that my two feline overlords came from a shelter. It’s not too hard to imagine someone with a shelter dog subscribing to Dog Fancy. In fact, the current feature article at their online site is about genetic tests to determine the breed background of a mixed breed of unknown parentage. They run articles on dog health and training that could certainly be relevant to someone who has a mutt.
As a further demonstration of just how much PETA cares about animals, they were one of the main groups that pushed for the Pitbulls seized from Mike Vick to be euthanized. PETA claimed that fighting dogs could never be rehabilitated and that killing them was the only humane option.
In fact, very few of the seized dogs had ever actually fought. I was out at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary 2 months ago, and got to tour the facility where they kept the Vick dogs that they had received. Keep in mind that Best Friends had taken the dogs deemed the most difficult among the ones that were saved from PETA by several no-kill organizations. In the short time they had been there, these dogs had made amazing progress. The main hurdle most of them faced was not being aggressive, but rather the fact that they had not been socialized at all. All the dogs were expected to be adoptable eventually, save one. That one is Lucas, Vick’s champion dog, who by court order must remain at the sanctuary for the rest of his life.
A good number of the dogs at Best Friends would have been killed if groups like PETA had their way. They sure have a funny way of showing their compassion.
My fantasy ad is a bunch of torch bearing people in KKK apparel in angry protest at night. The white sheets have PETA prominently displayed on the front over the heart.
I’ll admit I didn’t listen to the message when I gave you my mailing address, but the literature you sent with the doggie body bag changed my life!
You will be pleased to know that I won’t be needing the bag after all! I took your words to heart, and I just got back from the pound where I exchanged my designer mini-chihuahua-poo for a pound dog, just like you suggested!
Is there even such a thing as a body bag for dogs?
They probably just send you an ordinary body bag. No doubt there’s a lesson to be learned here about taking magazine ads at face value. Those X-ray specs never worked right either. Don’t even get me started about the 7 ft. tall Frankenstein Monster.
I never said I was surprised. I just stated that they were at it again.
Terrifel; yes, there are special cadaver bags that we (vet clinics) buy for deceased pets. They come in small and large. Large fits most big dogs, except possibly giant breeds like Great Danes and Mastiffs. It’s basically just a much thicker version of a trash bag.