Beneath the polished facade of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show [which took place in Queens County from May 11-May 14] lies cruelty obscured by overgroomed coats and circumscribed poses: the suffering caused by deliberately breeding and inbreeding dogs to meet human-dictated “beauty standards.”

 

Inbreeding leads to debilitating health issues, from reproductive complications to respiratory disorders, and even shortened lifespans. Flat-faced breeds like French bulldogs and pugs struggle to breathe; short-legged breeds such as corgis and dachshunds have leg, joint, and back problems; and seemingly sturdy breeds including labradors and golden retrievers are prone to an early death from cancer. The list goes on.

 

Dog shows that put animals on display treat dogs as customizable commodities, driving up demand and worsening the animal overpopulation crisis in which some 70 million animals are homeless in the U.S.

Shelters in New York City are filled to capacity. While a new Animal Care Center is under construction in The Bronx, animals in nearby shelters desperately need homes. Skip the pageantry and crown a real winner by adopting a dog instead.

 

Melissa Rae Sanger is a staff writer with the PETA Foundation.

 

Editor’s Note: For more information on this topic, visit https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/.

As reported, an extremely hungry and dehydrated pitbull was found abandoned and hungry on Bronx Park East in Allerton on Saturday, May 4, 2024.