PETA asks sponsors to drop Westminster dog show

When PETA requested that the USA Network drop its coverage of the Westminster dog show earlier this month, it  drew the ire of the dog show community and many dog owners who said the show demonstrates the best American dog breeding programs have to offer.

USA chose to air Westminster despite PETA's objections (it's scheduled to appear on the network Feb. 9 and 10).  But being overruled by the network hasn't stopped PETA; the organization instead has switched tactics and is now pressuring advertisers to drop their sponsorship of the show.

Citing the BBC's decision to drop its coverage of the Crufts dog show, and the British Kennel Club's revisions of the standards for many of the breeds it recognizes (including the bulldog, German shepherd, chow chow, and Labrador retriever), PETA wrote to Westminster sponsor Pedigree Dog Food.  The letter read, in part:

The new BKC standards allow dogs to breathe, walk, and see freely, which previous breeding standards prevented.  Unfortunately, the AKC has refused to take even the smallest step to allow American dogs these same basic freedoms.  The BKC even has additional regulations requiring dog-show judges to choose the healthiest dogs as winners.

On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and our more than 2 million members and supporters, we ask that you pull your company's sponsorship of this event until the AKC revises its breeding standards so that it is, at the very least, in line with the BKC's standards, which would reduce the likelihood that purebred dogs will needlessly suffer from diseases and disorders.  You will then be following in the footsteps of Pedigree UK, which ended its sponsorship of the Crufts dog show last year.

Similar requests were directed to other advertisers who plan to air commercials during Westminster, including LifeLock, TransUnion, Intuit, the CityKids Foundation, and the Flex Belt, says PETA's vice president for cruelty investigations, Daphna Nachminovitch.

LifeLock, an Arizona-based identity theft prevention company, has rebuffed the request, according to the Phoenix Business Journal:

"We use an online aggregator that places LifeLock ads on more than 10,000 different sites," said company spokeswoman Tami Nealy in an e-mail. "While we don't know where all of our ads will be placed, we do require that they are not placed on adult sites, or any other sites that could be deemed offensive. At this time, we have no intention of pulling this advertisement."

Do you plan to watch Westminster?  Do you agree with PETA that the AKC should follow the British Kennel Club's lead in examining and revising breed standards?  Or should PETA focus on other issues and leave dog shows alone?  Let us know in the comments.

-- Lindsay Barnett

Related:
Kennel Club addresses ills of selective breeding
BBC announces it won't air Crufts dog show
PETA to USA Network: Don't air Westminster!
Dog show fans to PETA: Leave Westminster alone!
BBC documentarian: "PETA is a bunch of crackpots"
PETA responds to BBC filmmaker's "crackpots" comment
PETA's vice president: We don't want to take your dog away
Breeder of Westminster winner Uno has a few words for PETA
Britain's Kennel Club announces sweeping reforms
BBC documentarian comments on Kennel Club reforms

Photo:  Handler Kellie Fitzgerald runs with James, the English springer spaniel who was named best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club's 131st dog show. Credit: Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images.

Comments

[Simon Ritchie]

I cannot believe--with millions of great, love-craving animals being euthanized in shelters across the country every year while people keep buying puppies from breeders and pet stores--that this disgusting spectacle continues, and that there's any debate that any breeders may actually carry their businesses in any 'responsible' manner. You've got to be kidding me. I think THEY should do the dirty work of euthanizing a homeless dog in an overcrowded shelter for every puppy they bring into the world and sell.

[Jon E]

I dont watch Westminster, or any dog shows. Why?Because I love dogs. These breeders love dogs only for the profit and ego-boost they provide. Anyone who has dogs' best interests in mind will avoid dog shows and support organizations like PETA that push spay/neuter and encourage people to adopt dogs from shelters.

[sfgx123]

PETA kills 85% of all animals they "save". They claim they are forced to kill viable animals because it is impossible to do much due to their limited budget (30mil annually). Yet PETA calls the slaughter of livestock MURDER and compares it to the Holocaust. In comparison their neighbors the Norfolk SPCA saves 73% of all animals they take in with a annual budget a fraction of a fraction of PETA.

PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk claims: "A rat is a dog is a boy". If a boy = a dog and animal "MURDER" is a acceptable practice by PETA standards, then is the killing of unwanted children acceptable? Apparently so according to PETA's logic.

PETA is against all animal medical research. Good luck living past 40 without modern medicine. If you support this then please refuse all medical treatment for you and your child since modern medicine was founded on the sacrifices of animal testing. PETAs leadership uses insulin which was tested on animals. PETA does not consider this hypocritical by any means. How convenient of them.

PETA's tax records show donations and loans made to convicted homegrown terrorist Rodney Coronado. PETA also contributed to his legal defense fund. Rodney has confessed in public lectures of firebombing private property in the name of ALF (Animal Liberation Front). PETA leadership calls this terrorist a "fine upstanding young man". Rodney has gone to college campuses to teach students to build home made firebombs.

PETA is no better than Al Qaeda, just more media savvy.

[Janine from PA]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????? I am a BIG time animal lover & have been attending the Westminster for over 25 years & own a GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG!!! PETA is getting WAY out of hand with all their requests & accusations! I think PETA should have some regulations against THEM! GIve me a break! HOW ANNOYING they are!

[Alex]

Please watch the BBC documentary on My Space - Pedigree Dogs Exposed - pass it on to your friends. It's what the breeders don't want you to see. It's sad that man's best friend has become nothing more than a commodity. Think about it if breeders really love dogs then why do they charge for their puppies. Adoption shouldn't be an option it should be a requirement.

[Rocky]

PETA is blaming responsible dog owners and breeders for the dogs that end up unwanted in shelters. Why not attack the people who's dogs are in the shelter? Why not actually help those people with culturally appropriate information and services to assist people in controlling their dogs reproduction? If PETA spent it's millions helping animals instead of attacking people there would not be so many animals in shelters. The dogs seen at Westminster are wanted dogs. Somehow PETA has managed to forget the 10,000 year history that humans have shared with canines. Dogs have evolved (by deliberate and careful breeding as exhibited at the shows) to have very specific characteristics and abilities. Dogs are functional if they are well bred, not just eye candy. They hunt, track, search, detect, retrieve, respond as needed by their human partners. PETA derides people who honor this long working relationship with dogs as bad and meaningless. Let me tell you when things get tough and you need to get out of a jam in the woods or need protection or need a faithfull friend your well trained mixed or pure bred dog that has the instincts and abilites it was created for intact you will be grateful you did not follow PETA's advice and practice and eliminate your pet in favor of some virtual reality screen saver. Watch the show and enjoy the human and canine history they represent.

[JJ]

For the life of me I don't understand why people listen to these idiots or why the media isn't savy enough to see through the lies and the posturing, and why they don't do some serious investigating of peta (lower case for a reason - they don't have my respect).

Purebred dog breeders who show their dogs as in Westminster and thousands of other shows across the world, when done right - as it mostly is - DO NOT MAKE A PROFIT!!

Let's give a little credit where it's due when it comes to purebred dog breeders. Who has pushed for all of the testing done now on breeds and the research that is funded by donations? The general public? The shelters? Peta or HUSA? NO - it's the lately much maligned PUREBRED DOG BREEDERS, people!!!!!

FACT: Dogs live longer now so they are more prone to geriatric types of disease, and let's not overlook the findings that translate to human medicine with some of the stuff being done on dogs to improve and prolong their quality of life.

FACT: There is no one tracking the health issues of non-purebred dogs, only purebreds, so it only stands to reason that they would "appear" to have more diseases than mixed breed animals. Testing is done on purebreds, but not on mixed breeds, so the chance of the offspring being healthier when produced from healthy parents increases.

FACT: If peta gets its way - there will be NO dogs. No purebreds, no mixed breeds, no service dogs, no therapy dogs, no search and rescue dogs - NO DOGS period!

So if you love dogs (or cats) stop letting peta divide and conquer. Each and every dog, produced on purpose or by accident, can add immeasurable richness to a person's life. Don't let these peta nuts steal that from all of us and future generations. Extinction is forever. I don't want to live in a world where animals aren't a part of my daily life.

[Wibblet68]

People who think dog breeders are money-hungry opportunists don't have a clue. Most dog breeders spend substantial time and money making sure their dogs are healthy, genetically and physically sounds, and making sure any puppies they raise go to excellent homes. The PETA stand-by that every purebred puppy sale equates to a dog death in a shelter is simply wrong. Someone who wants a healthy, well-bred beagle (or other purebred) puppy is not going to adopt a geriatric (or diabetic, or ill-tempered) mixed-breed from the pound. These are apples and oranges. The majority of dogs euthanized in shelters are old, infirm, temperamentally unsound, or poorly socialized. And many if not most are there because of irresponsible or financially strapped owners, NOT because of purebred puppies or their breeders. Get real.

[tamara]

peta has done more harm than good.They re nothing more than animal rights wacko thugs..same for all pogressives (i.e. liberals) not unlike the current new President and Congress who are saddling our children and grandchildren with a trillion dollar debt "in the name of stimulating the economy...It's a liberal power grab...nothing more.

[Rachel]

peta would prefer that I not have two pure bred Great Danes. If you don't want unwanted dogs euthanized - feel free to take them in and care for them yourself. I'm not stopping you by having my pure bred dogs. Unfortunately you would rather attack me than make a real difference. Sad really. I chose not to have children, instead I have my Danes. Can peta give me a pass because I chose not to overpopulate the humans?

[halfdime47]

Excuse me, but it PETA euthanized even one animal then it hasn't SAVED that animal, it has murdered it.
For the record people who breed animals for pet shops are not the same as the breeders who do dog shows! People who breed for dog shows often sell dogs that do not make the standard with the requirement that they be spayed/neutered to prevent bad breeding practices; both of our registered Maltese are in this category and we paid for both of them.
As for supporting PETA, don't waste your money. Until PETA can prove that they never euthanize any animal then they are wasting the money they are given. Instead of spending money on their favorite past time, being in the limelight, they should be saving all the oppressed animals, caring and feeding all they RESCUE for their full lives; lets see them practice what they preach.
So far as us eating meat, well we are omnivores. That is why we have incisors and don't have multiple stomachs. So, unless they want us to eat them alive, we need to slaughter livestock. Now, I'm all for humane slaughter methods so why doesn't PETA do some research into that arena?

[leader]

As in all facets of life you have your bad apples and the breeding industry has theirs but so does PETA. I am sure there are people out there who have good intentions but when they put others or themselves in danger they are no longer good intentions. As former member of 4-H who raised seeing eye dogs I consider PETA an insult to what I was trying to accomplish. Not all my puppies became full fledged seeing eye dogs but they deffinately became good companions.

[Schipperke]

PETA needs to get real!!! Any sponsor dropping the Westminster can count on losing my business, and those of hundreds of people I, personally, have direct contact with. Firstly, the press needs to take a much closer look at who and what PETA Is and stop giving them air time, bandwidth, and paper. PETA misleads the public, lies, and has an agenda that is so far off the charts as to be properly labeled "extremist". They operate as terrorists in the animal community. They are responsible for the deaths of an uncountable number of animals that they have supposedly *freed*. Those of us who truly know the truth know that dog breeders regularly keep our companion dogs coming from healthy stock. There is no money in dog breeding except for those shameful puppy mills that the government refuses to shut down. If PETA really cares about those dogs they'll do something sensible. But... they won't.

[Bud Knapp]

PETA - How many millions of dollars do they raise each year? How many animals do they save each years? How about opening your books and letting the media see where the monies go?
The idea of letting all animals run loose in the "natural state",ridiculous ! Can you imagine what would happen! Packs of feral animals roaming.
PETA is just wrong with their hidden agenda.
B.K.

[Jessica Brown]

It's so nice to see that PETA just sends false messages to our society. It is a joke that these people think they know that the animals want. Have you ever had a show dog? Have you even seen the excitement they express before they go in the ring. If these animals didn't want to preform they would not do it. Working for a breeder, who has dogs entered at the Garden, and they are not all the same. There is good and bad in every industry the dog show circuit is not exception.

[richard]

These people (i.e.- handlers, breeders, fans, etc.) care more for these animals than anyone that I'm aware of. You "Peta" people are just looking for someone, or something, to complain about to draw attention to yourselves. If it wasn't this, it would be something else. What pathetic lives you must lead. Have a good day.

[JUDY]

PETA as well as HSUS are eating an elephant a bite at a time...if the community does not stand up and get actively involved immediately, against the ridiculous rants and lies these people vomit up as "facts", we will see the day soon when there will be avsolutely NO breeders, and we will all be vegans,because it is inhumane to "murder" animals for meat. These people are ram rodding bills and laws through the legislative system in multiple States...if they get their way in Illinois, HB 198 will effectiverly excise dog shows and responsible breeders from that entire state. People need to see what the hidden agneda is of these extremists. Do not be suckered into their cobweb of lies, nor allow them to pull on your heart by misrepresenting the facts. Every dog owner in any state in this union had better get very saavy about what these people are really all about, or we will all loose our right to even own a pet of any kind.

[Dawn Y.]

I have been an animal lover for all of my 36 years,they have been my companions,and I never really knew how the Westminster Dog Show was run until reading this article. I have always wondered though about those things around the dogs necks that they call "leads", of course the dogs are going to follow when they can't breathe until the judge or handler says so. I know I would follow where I had to go just to have the simple right of breathing. When I said before that my pets are my companions It's not just that, they are my very best friends and I know that that is not a way to treat any animal. I know that none of my animals will ever make me even one dollar, but they will give me the best thing that never has to be taught, unconditional love!!!!!!!

[Arthur Page]

I can'telieve That Peta would do this but I suppose that they can have their own opinion. DON'T force it on us. My mother was the first woman that was licensed by t the AKC to judge all types of all dog competition. My hats off to the USA net work

[Jean]

No one I know goes around telling PETA and HSUS people what they can or cannot eat, so why do they think they have a right to tell everyone else what to do. I have 3 purebred dogs and breed 1 litter a year. I have never had a puppy end up in a shelter or rescue. People can see the difference getting a well adjusted, healthy dog from someone like me and other good breeders. PETA and HSUS need to stop wasting everyone's money by continually trying to pass laws that make no sense and only end up hurting our pets. People that donate to them need to realize how they waste money on so many stupid causes. The breeders that take the time and money to show their dogs are wonderful people, not puppy mills. Please stop equating the 2, which are like night and day. The shelter dogs are not put there by show quality breeders, but by people who buy on impulse and then realize in a few months they don't want it. Responsible breeders do not sell to people like that. And as far as making money, we do have to feed the dogs, vaccinate, and do all the necessary health screenings.

[Karen]

PETA objectives to Purebred dog shows are nothing but are a thinly veiled attempt to socially engineer the relationship between man and animals. They are completely misdirected in their scorn and lash out at the most ridiculous. I understand their objection to human's wearing animal fur and their desire to prevent cruel use of animals for research. This recent mania, however, with purebred dogs is just over the top! The people who buy purebred dogs are NOT candidates for shelter rescue, Hello! Different objective. Will not save a shelter dog. But challenge every right of enjoyment pure bred fanciers have to enjoy their hobby of choice and then the line will be drawn against those same people who are willing to contribute to homeless animals when they check out of Petsmart. Is that really progressive? Leave the dog shows alone.

[SUSIE Q]

I DON'T KNOW WHOM TO BELIEVE.
HOWEVER THIS HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE.
I LOVE THE MINI SCHNAUZER AND HAVE PURCHASED THEM FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT PLACES. DUE TO
WHAT I DEEM AS SELFISH BREEDING 3 IN A ROW
DEVELOPED PROBLEMS AND DIED AT HALF THEIR
ALLOTED LIFE SPAN.
MY LAST VET CRIED WITH ME -KNOWING HOW MUCH EFFORT I HAVE PUT INTO MY DOGS.. I H OPE THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL FOR T HOSE THAT
ABUSE AND MISUSE DOGS...I WILL HAVE NO MORE!

[Pam]

PETA is *not* an animal welfare organization - they're a group dedicated to ending animal ownership of any kind. Don't take my word for it - go to their Web site and read their manifesto. These people are the worst kind of extremists and terrorists. At outdoor shows, they let dogs out of their kennels to be hit on the roads.

I've bred and shown dogs for many years. I make *no* money doing it - on the contrary, it's a very expensive hobby. Selling puppies doesn't begin to cover the costs of high-quality food, veterinary care, genetic and other health testing, and equipment - especially when most of us breed a litter only once every couple of years.

All buyers are carefully screened and sign contracts agreeing to high standards of care. These contracts also include my guarantees to the buyer, including good health and the willingness to take the dog back at any time if the buyer no longer wants it, or is unable to care for it.

It's absurd to say that the dogs can't breathe or that they're being "forced" to participate in the shows. If they aren't willing, happy, excited participants, they won't win, simple as that. Just *look* at them! Their tails are wagging, they're not balking or being dragged.

Is there ego involved? Sure, just as with *any* competition. But someone who mistreats his animals or provides substandard food or care, or fails to develop a strong, loving bond with them, won't be indulging that ego much - he'll be doing a lot of losing.