ohmidog!

PETA sent a letter to the president of USA Network today, urging the network to cease showing the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, sponsored by the American Kennel Club.

The letter requested that USA Network follow the lead of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), which announced last month that it will no longer televise Britain’s Crufts dog show because of harmful breed standard policies. The action followed a BBC special report on how breed standards have created health problems in many purebred breeds.

The standards of the British Kennel Club and the AKC are almost identical, PETA said.

“The AKC has failed to help reduce the debilitating health problems that plague purebreds. Furthermore, it specifically encourages painful mutilations such as ear-cropping and tail-docking. Dog breeders routinely perform these cruel procedures, which can lead to infection, and often use genetic manipulation or inbreeding to achieve certain “desired” breed standards,” a PETA press release said.

PETA also said purebred breeding adds to the nearly 8 million animals in shelters every year – many of them purebreds –about half of which are euthanized.

“Countless dogs suffer painful cosmetic surgeries and millions of wonderful dogs die in animal shelters because of the AKC’s inhumane policies,” says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “USA Network can take a stand against the cruel treatment of animals simply by denying air time to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.”