‘Deadbeat Dad’ Billboard in Austin Calls for Neutering in Time for Father’s Day

PETA’s Austin Billboard Highlights Free and Low-Cost ‘Fixes’ for Area Residents’ Dogs and Cats Ahead of Breeding Season

For Immediate Release:
June 18, 2015

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

An unconventional Father’s Day message is greeting drivers on E. Ben White Boulevard, where PETA has placed a catchy billboard that features an image of a lone mother dog nursing a hungry litter of puppies and reads, “Don’t Let Your Dog Be a Deadbeat Dad. Get Him Neutered Today.” As PETA points out, the best way to end the animal-overpopulation crisis is through prevention. Six to 8 million dogs and cats end up in animal shelters every year, and about half of them must be euthanized simply because there aren’t enough good homes to go around. As a result, many shelters end up closing their doors and turning homeless animals away.

The billboard is located on 6801 1/2 E. Ben White Blvd., facing west.

“By having dogs and cats ‘fixed,’ people can prevent them from becoming deadbeat dads and single moms and, best of all, put a dent in companion-animal homelessness,” says PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien. “PETA is calling on kind people everywhere to prevent unwanted births and ensure that no puppy or kitten is born into a world that’s bursting at the seams with unwanted animals.”

Every year, countless animals are abandoned to fend for themselves outdoors, where they may endure sweltering heat and bone-chilling cold, get hit by cars, or face other life-threatening dangers. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—offers free and low-cost spay/neuter services year-round in an effort to combat the animal-overpopulation crisis. Sterilized animals also live longer and happier lives, are less likely to develop cancer of the reproductive system, and, in the case of neutered males, are less likely to roam or fight.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.