Rite Aid Stands Up for Dogs Again

Rite Aid—the third-largest U.S. drugstore chain—cares about animals. Following its kind decision to create and install signs at its more than 2,100 stores nationwide alerting customers to the dangers of leaving animals and children in parked cars, it agreed to no longer sell greeting cards that contain images of brachycephalic dog breeds! The pharmacy made this compassionate decision after learning from PETA how breathing-impaired dogs—including bulldogs, pugs, and boxers—suffer from a multitude of health problems due to their deliberately distorted and restricted airways. By banning the cards, which it anticipates will be off store shelves by June 2024, the pharmacy is helping to reduce the popularity of these suffering dogs. We urge the public not to support the cruel dog-breeding industry and to refuse to buy animals from pet stores, puppy mills, or breeders. Instead, we recommend supporting reputable local animal shelters that truly help animals—and adopting when people have the time, money, love, and patience to care for an animal for their whole life.