From ‘Pedigree’ to ‘Paws Agree’: Will Dog Food Company Eat Up PETA’s Mutt-Friendly Name Change Request?

For Immediate Release:
December 17, 2024

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Today, PETA sent a letter to Mars Pet Nutrition North America Regional President Alanna McDonald requesting that she throw all dogs a vegan bone this holiday season by changing the name of Pedigree—which glorifies the breeders and puppy mills driving the homeless animal overpopulation crisis—to the more inclusive, pro-adoption “Paws Agree.”

“Mars Pet Nutrition is barking up the wrong tree with an outdated name like Pedigree,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Celebrating the ‘purebred’ industry while millions of homeless animals flood the world’s shelters should leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, and PETA urges the company to embrace this pawsitively pro-mutt update.”

For every animal produced by any breeder, another dog or cat waiting in a shelter loses their chance at finding a home. Breeding also harms animals’ health, causing life-shortening ailments such as hip dysplasia, blindness, deafness, heart issues, skin problems, and epilepsy.

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 PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to McDonald follows.

December 17, 2024

Alanna McDonald

Regional President

Mars Pet Nutrition North America

Dear Ms. McDonald:

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally, including many across the U.S. and in India, where many of our supporters are big fans of your Pedigree balanced and vegetarian dog food. Today, we’re writing with a pawsitively progressive suggestion: Would you consider changing with the times by updating the name of Pedigree to Paws Agree—which would be inclusive of the millions of mutts in people’s homes as well as the homeless mutts and “purebreds” literally dying for want of good homes? Please allow me to elaborate.

Words mutter and have the power to change lives, both of humans and other species. Since many organizations, such as the Washington Commanders, have been updating their names to reflect changing times, we believe that now is the perfect moment to reconsider yours as well. We agree with Pedigree’s stance on adoption and love that the Pedigree Foundation offers relief to animal shelters across the U.S. because many homeless dogs have a ruff time finding a furever home and over 3 million of them enter shelters every year. By changing from “Pedigree”—which excludes mixed breeds, who make up the majority of dogs in shelters and foster homes—you could further emphasize the importance of adoption and become leaders in the campaign to end the homeless-dog crisis in the U.S. and worldwide.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

President