‘Ho, Ho, No!’ PETA Plea Not to Give Animals as Gifts Lands Near Mini Critters Pet Store
For Immediate Release:
December 20, 2024
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
“Cats and dogs aren’t stocking stuffers!” That’s the message PETA is presenting to holiday shoppers in Sioux Falls ahead of Christmas. The sky-high appeal just landed a block away from Mini-Critters pet store and around the corner from Empire Mall, urging everyone never to give animals as gifts. PETA points out that caring for a cat or dog is a high-cost, 15- to 20-year commitment that should never be taken on without careful planning and budgeting—and that every year, shelters are flooded with former “Christmas puppies” and kittens whose families weren’t prepared to care for them.
“Busy holidays are a terrible time to try to acclimate a new animal to the household, to say nothing of the vet bill when the puppy swallows a stocking, or the kitten takes a bite of the poinsettia,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA urges anyone thinking of gifting an animal to get a Furby instead, and when they’re ready to add a real cat or dog to the family, remember to adopt, not shop.”
Billboard location: 4309 S. Louise Ave. #101, Sioux Falls.
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.
