For Immediate Release: February 9, 2015
for more information contact:
Patti Strand, president, National Animal Interest Alliance
naia@naiaonline.org, 503-761-8962

Denver billboard … brought to you by the people who killed Maya - PETA

Today, American dog lovers call on Outfront Media to honor the Outdoor Advertising Association of America’s code of conduct and remove PETA’s hateful billboard, which is designed to discredit AKC breeders and hurt their upcoming dog shows in Denver.

The industry’s statement of principles says they “… support the right of media companies to reject advertising that is misleading, offensive, or otherwise incompatible with individual community standards, and in particular, we reject the posting of obscene words or pictorial content.”

With that statement in mind, we call on Outfront Media to reject this billboard because it is:

• Misleading: PETA’s ad promotes consumer guilt by deceptively claiming that choosing a purebred will kill a shelter dog’s chances.
  1. In fact, data collected by the Colorado Department of Agriculture shows that Colorado shelters and rescues imported more than 17,000 dogs last year from out of state, something no ethical shelter would do if overpopulation was still a problem in the state.
  2. In fact, the people who buy dogs want dogs they can seldom find at a shelter, puppies and dogs with the predictable traits that purebreds have.
• Offensive: Promoting the idea that dedicated AKC dog breeders are killing shelter dogs instead of caring for and preserving breeds for people who desire them now and future generations is offensive.
• Individual community standards: The timing of this billboard could hurt the local nonprofit AKC dog clubs’ annual shows next weekend; clubs which unlike PETA actually help the dogs in the local community.
• Obscene words: “AKC breeders kill shelter dogs’ chances” are obscene words designed to vilify breeders and shame consumers into adopting a dog instead of buying one. The words are part of a sinister “cause marketing campaign” aligned with PETA’s agenda to eliminate purebred dogs. Factually, AKC breeders are leaders when it comes to supporting canine health research, rescue, spay/neuter clinics, public education programs promoting responsible dog ownership, dog socialization and training and numerous other activities that greatly improve the chances of dogs staying in one home for life. Loving dogs has never meant loving purebreds only, and AKC Canine Good Citizen Program does more to help shelter dogs than all the money spent by PETA.

On behalf of responsible AKC dog breeders, we request that Outfront Media do the right thing and remove PETA’s hateful billboard. If that’s not possible at this time, we ask that they donate another billboard to AKC or the damaged local AKC clubs.

We ask dog lovers who agree with our request to sign the attached petition to Outfront Media so we can forward it before the shows. 

The petition link is no longer active

Meantime, local AKC dog breeders count on the Denver media to get the story right, and invite reporters to come and enjoy the show!