Dog Who Took Toilet Break During Crufts Crowned PETA Dog Of The Year
For Immediate Release:
13 March 2012
Contact:
Ben Williamson 0207 357 9229, ext 229; [email protected]
London – She was disqualified by Crufts judges for stopping to relieve herself while taking part in the agility course, but today Libby is honoured with another award, PETA Dog of the Year. The 5-year-old sheepdog cross answered nature’s call in front of thousands of onlookers at the annual dog show. Unrepentant for her indiscretions, Libby looked at spectators and wagged her tail.
“Libby is a true role model who showed independence, self-assurance and the ability to triumph over conformity”, says PETA spokesperson Yvonne Taylor. “She is a dog who bows to no one, and we commend her for that.”
Libby will be sent a framed certificate along with a basket of vegan dog treats from PETA.
It is relevant that Libby is a mongrel, given the controversy over breeding “purebred” dogs. In addition to PETA protests, the BBC stopped airing Crufts after the 2008 TV documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) also withdrew its support the same year, stating that such shows “actively encourage both the intentional breeding of deformed and disabled dogs and the inbreeding of closely related animals. This is morally and ethically unjustifiable”.
About one in four pedigrees is afflicted with serious congenital defects, including hypothyroidism, epilepsy, cataracts, allergies, chronic ear infections and hip dysplasia. These and other conditions have been handed down through generations of inbreeding and selective breeding for distorted physical features. A study published by The Veterinary Journal found that each of the 50 most popular breeds are at risk of some genetic defect which can cause suffering. Meanwhile, as PETA points out, rescue agencies are bursting at the seams with dogs who are literally dying for lack of a good home.
A high-resolution copy of PETA’s recent advert for Crufts is available here.