"The dogs come to be judged. The owners and handlers come to uphold breed standards. And, almost as reliably as the movie references and the best-in-show ribbon, Peta arrives ready to dominate the conversation. If there is one certainty about the Super Bowl of canines, it's that the protest will share the stage with the pageantry. Westminster is an annual collision of tradition, spectacle and dissent, and Peta has become exceptionally good at owning that moment."
"Two enormous billboards screamed down from across the street of the Javits Center, where breed judging unfolded on Monday and Tuesday ahead of the prime-time sessions at Madison Square Garden. One read: Flat-faced dogs struggle to breathe. NEVER buy them. Another: You can get a nose job. They can't. DON'T buy breathing-impaired breeds. Provocative billboards, mobile ads, media hooks, message discipline: Peta is very, very good at this."
"But that moral clarity gets murkier, and fast, when the conversation shifts from purebred dogs to cats. Because when it comes to cats, Peta's messaging increasingly relies on selectively framed science, strategic ambiguity and a reluctance to acknowledge the logical endpoint of its own philosophy. That ambiguity allows the organization to criticize grassroots rescuers while avoiding the political and ethical toxicity of openly endorsing mass euthanasia policies."
Every February the Westminster Dog Show brings pageantry, nostalgia and protests to New York City. Dogs are judged and handlers uphold breed standards while Peta stages high-profile protests with provocative billboards and disciplined messaging. Peta's campaigns spotlight harms of flat-faced breeds and respiratory issues, effectively capturing media attention. Criticism of extreme dog breeding can be legitimate and necessary. Peta's messaging about cats, however, increasingly relies on selectively framed science, strategic ambiguity and reluctance to acknowledge logical endpoints. That ambiguity enables criticism of grassroots rescuers while sidestepping openly endorsing mass euthanasia. Peta continues to challenge trap-neuter-return programs, claiming they encourage abandonment.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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