Cow’s Milk or Dog’s Milk? PETA Billboard Says There’s No Difference

For Immediate Release:
October 17, 2024

Contact:
Maddy Missett 202-483-7382

Bakersfield, Calif. –

Diners at McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and other eateries near the intersection of Stockdale Highway and California Avenue may be ditching dairy in favor of delicious vegan options after spotting a new sky-high appeal from PETA that asks, “If You Wouldn’t Drink Dog’s Milk, Why Drink Cow’s Milk?” The message serves as a reminder that both cows and dogs feel joy and pain and bond with their babies, but that in the dairy industry—including in neighboring Tulare County, which produces the most milk in the U.S.—cows are forcibly impregnated, separated from their newborns within hours of birth, and hooked up to milking machines as many as three times a day.

Photo of billboard featuring an edited photo of a woman drinking milk from a dog. Text reads "If you wouldn't drink dog's milk, why drink cow's milk? Please, try vegan"

“Just like the dogs we share our homes with, cows produce milk only for their young after pregnancy,” says PETA Senior Director Heather Carlson. “PETA is calling on everyone to avoid ordering dairy drinks derived from the misery of mother cows and to instead leave cows and their babies in peace by going vegan.”

In the dairy industry, cows are repeatedly forcibly inseminated (raped)—workers insert an arm into the cow’s rectum and a metal rod to deliver semen into her vagina. Newborn males are routinely slaughtered for veal, while female calves endure the same fate as their mothers until their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, dramatically shrinks their food-related carbon footprint, and slashes their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.

PETA’s billboard is located at 5321 Stockdale Hwy. in Bakersfield. Please see the Google Maps link here.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—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.