‘Dear People: Stop Buying Dogs!’ Max the Dog’s Adoption Appeal Hits Philly, Courtesy of PETA

For Immediate Release:
October 17, 2024

Contact:
Maddy Missett 202-483-7382

Real bark … er, talk! With shelters in the City of Brotherly Love overwhelmed with homeless animals, PETA is blitzing newsstands near pet stores and heavily trafficked areas with an appeal from Max, an adorable dog who is asking people to paws, avoid pet stores and breeders, and adopt their beloved new four-legged family member from an animal shelter instead.

“Anyone who buys a dog is responsible for the nationwide crisis of homeless animals, which is being felt so deeply in Philly,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “There’s rarely a magic bullet for an emergency, but in this case, there is, and that’s never buying animals, always adopting them from shelters, and—of course—having them spayed or neutered.”

Around 70 million dogs and cats in the U.S. are homeless at any given time. Animal adoption helps combat this overpopulation crisis, which is fueled by puppy mills, pet stores, and backyard breeders. Adoption fees support animal shelters’ important daily work, including spaying and neutering as well as providing vaccines, microchips, and veterinary care.

The ads are located at newsstands at the intersections of Broad and Tasker streets, Aramingo Avenue and E. Westmoreland Street, W. Girard Avenue and N. Front Street, Broad and Ellsworth streets, Market and S. Eighth streets, Spruce and Broad streets, Market and S. 17^th streets, Market and S. 19^th streets, S. Seventh and Market streets, and S. 16^th and Ranstead streets.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.