SPOTTED: A Big ‘Pup’ Celebrates Chinese New Year by Urging People to Adopt, Not Shop
Earlier today, to celebrate the Year of the Dog, a 6-foot-tall “dog” was spotted ringing in Chinese New Year in Manila’s Chinatown by urging tourists and shoppers to adopt dogs from their local shelter or rescue group instead of buying purebreds from pet stores or breeders, which simply serves to exacerbate the homeless-animal crisis.
Buying a dog from a pet store supports “puppy mills,” cruel breeding operations in which dogs are raised in cramped, crude, and filthy conditions and are often denied basic veterinary care. Many die from distemper or parvovirus. And every purchase of a puppy means that there’s one home fewer for those awaiting adoption in an animal shelter or roaming the streets.
On the street, homeless animals face starvation, diseases, traffic, and cruel people, and city pounds and shelters are full of dogs just waiting to be adopted by loving families.
What You Can Do
If you have the time and resources to provide an animal with a good home, celebrate the Year of the Dog by adopting one from a shelter or rescue group and always ensure that your animals are sterilized.
