Activists To Blanket Town With ‘Adopt-Don’T Shop’ Message After Dog Is Abandoned At Ayr Station

For Immediate Release:

12 January 2015

Contact:

Hannah Levitt +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 235; [email protected]

ACTIVISTS TO BLANKET TOWN WITH ‘ADOPT – DON’T SHOP’ MESSAGE AFTER DOG IS ABANDONED AT AYR STATION

After Young Dog Kai Is Found Tied to Railing Following Failed Gumtree Transaction, PETA Urges Online Market to Ban Breeders

Ayrshire, Scotland – Following news that a dog called Kai – who was found abandoned at Ayr railway station this week – was a victim of an arranged Internet sale, PETA is launching a new advert warning people about the dangers of buying animals. The ad, which uses the instantly recognisable photo of the sad Shar-Pei tied up next to a suitcase containing his belongings, reads, “I’m Kai. I Was Bought and Sold on Gumtree and Ended Up Homeless”, and goes on to encourage people to “adopt – don’t shop”. It will be used in media around Ayrshire.

“When people buy a dog off the Internet, they’re not only funding breeding but also robbing a homeless animal of his or her chance at adoption”, says PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi. “Unlike animal shelters, breeders don’t screen their buyers or perform home checks, so there’s no way to ensure that the animals are going to good homes or that the new guardians receive an animal companion who’s suitable to their household.”

PETA is urging Gumtree to enact a policy banning advertisements from breeders to prevent animals from ending up in the hands of negligent or abusive people. What’s more, many breeders raise animals in horrific conditions and keep them in a constant cycle of pregnancy. Each year, thousands of dogs and cats in animal shelters must be killed because there aren’t enough good homes for them. Other animals are abandoned on the streets, where they starve to death, fall prey to abuse or get injured or killed by vehicles. Meanwhile, there are thousands of dogs like Kai who are currently languishing in shelters across the country, literally dying for a loving home. PETA encourages people moved by Kai’s plight to rescue their next animal companion – or if possible, two – from a local shelter instead of buying from anonymous sellers and always to spay and neuter.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

 #