PETA Pitches a Vegan Dodger Dog!

For Immediate Release:
April 29, 2021

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

Farmer John is no longer making Dodger Dogs, and in a letter sent this morning to Los Angeles Dodgers Executive Vice President Bob Wolfe, PETA threw out this pitch: Please cut ties with all slaughterhouses by serving only the delicious vegan dogs that Dodger Stadium (a “Vegan-Friendly Ballpark” winner) already offers and that fans love to get their mitts on.

“Hot dogs are processed meat, and that means they’re linked to cancer—plus, slaughterhouses are coronavirus hotspots, animal agriculture is draining our state dry and fanning the flames of wildfires, and pigskin doesn’t belong in a baseball park but on the pigs who own it,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA would cheer for the Dodgers to step up to the plate and hit a home run for animals, the Earth, and human health by making the official Dodger Dog a vegan one.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Wolfe follows.

April 29, 2021

Bob Wolfe

Executive Vice President

Los Angeles Dodgers

Dear Mr. Wolfe:

I’m writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide, including nearly 180,000 in Los Angeles, to thank the Dodgers for reconsidering its partnership with Farmer John and to pitch an idea to you: Please cut ties with all filthy, dangerous slaughterhouses that grind up pigs by serving only the delicious vegan dogs that you already offer.

Slaughterhouses are some of the most dangerous workplaces in the country—and were so even before the current pandemic. Across the country, these facilities became hotspots for the novel coronavirus, and tens of thousands of meat-industry workers have contracted COVID-19 and hundreds have died. To add to this death toll, the World Health Organization reports that processed meats such as hot dogs are carcinogenic to humans. Pigs are inquisitive and curious animals: They enjoy companionship and value their relationships with one another. In their natural environment, they enjoy basking in the sun, rooting in the soil, and running across many acres of land—none of which they can do on a factory farm.

In 2020, Los Angeles was devastated by yet another summer of intense wildfires, and California is already bracing for another record drought this summer. The massive amount of water used in animal agriculture contributes to the dry conditions that allow wildfires to spread.

The meat industry has shown that profits are what matter most to it—workers, consumers, animals, and the environment be damned. We urge you to step up to the plate and hit a home run for animals, the Earth, and human health by selling only vegan dogs. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman

Executive Vice President