PeTA compares AKC to the KKK -- how's that for a bunch of inflammatory acronyms?
A press release from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals hit my email box this morning, announcing that a television ad "showing a hooded Ku Klux Klan member making himself right at home at a meeting of the "purebreds"-only American Kennel Club will hit New York TV stations just in time to make the hair stand up on the heads of participants featured in the annual telecast of the Westminster Dog Show."
Calling the show a "pageant," PETA considers the annual Westminster gathering "irresponsible" because it "promotes dog breeding and spurs interest in 'purebreds' while animal shelters overflow with unwanted mutts who are in desperate need of homes."
"When it comes to contempt for 'mixed breeds' and a fetish for 'pure bloodlines,' there's not much difference between the KKK and the AKC," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "Not only does the AKC promote breeding as a 'sport,' it also opposes spay-and-neuter laws that would save the lives of hundreds of thousands of animals."
Where to start? First, if you're going to make a correlation between the closed canine gene pools and unfortunate moments in human history, eugenics concepts put forth in Nazi Germany is the better fit. Steve Budianksy does an excellent recap of this in his book, "The Truth About Dogs."
As for the AKC aversion to mixed-breeds, PETA must have missed the memo about the AKC considering opening up performance events such as obedience and Rally to non-pedigree pooches. Cynics opine that this is as much an economic imperative than a moral one, and they'd be right. But I'll take a Boss Tweed over a Grand Wizard any day of the week.
Second, breeding is not the sport -- dog showing is.
Nachminovitch's last comment is a reference to AB 1634, the California law that was narrowly defeated after opposition by purebred dog and cat breeders because it required mandatory spaying and neutering of every puppy and kitten at 4 weeks -- an age considered too premature by many (yours truly included) because of potential health implications (increased risk of osteosarcoma among them). In truth, reputable breeders sell all their pet-quality puppies on contracts stipulating that they be spayed and neutered.
The PETA ad concludes with the message "All dogs are created equal."
PETA is buying airtime on New York cable stations this week and in local markets across the country.
http://www.peta.org/feat/abc/index.asp
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