PETA Tells ‘Teen Mom 2’ Star: Your Dogs Are Neglected, It’s Time to Find Them a New Home

For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2014

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

This morning, PETA sent a letter to Teen Mom 2 star Jenelle Evans urging her to turn her dogs over to someone who can find them a good home where no one yells at them, keeps them locked in crates in the garage most of the time, or resents them for “doing their business.”

The letter comes on the heels of a barrage of calls to PETA over this week’s Teen Mom 2 episode, in which the pregnant young mother acts out in frustration against the dogs. Throughout the episode, Janelle is seen screaming and swearing at dogs Jax and Moogan as they cower in fear, at one point forcing them to share the same tiny cage in which they cannot stand up or stretch. She drags Moogan, who is clearly desperate for exercise and human interaction, across the floor by his collar and threatens to sell him after he escapes his prison-like enclosure.

In the letter, PETA—whose motto says, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that dogs are highly social pack animals who require companionship and exercise for their physical and psychological well-being and that they suffer immensely when they are caged for hours at a time just because it’s “convenient” for their guardians. PETA has offered to transport the dogs to be placed up for adoption through the Spartanburg Humane Society.

“[A]s much as you want to do the right thing for your dogs, you have so much going on in your life that you have neither the time nor the patience to give them what they need,” writes PETA’s Merrilee Burke. “We urge you to be strong and do what’s right: Please immediately make the commitment to finding them a new, suitable home where they are not kept in crates and punished and yelled at for relieving themselves.”

PETA’s full letter to Jenelle Evans is below. 

August 8, 2014

Dear Ms. Evans:

I’m writing to you today from PETA, the world’s largest animal rights organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters worldwide. We have been inundated with complaints from viewers about the treatment of your dogs as profiled on Wednesday night’s Teen Mom. Viewers can see that as much as you want to do the right thing for your dogs, you have so much going on in your life that you have neither the time nor the patience to give them what they need. They are full of feelings and needs, just as you are, and when you scream at them, it clearly frightens and upsets them. This poster may help you see what we mean. We urge you to be strong and do what’s right: Please immediately make the commitment to finding them a new, suitable home where they are not kept in crates and punished and yelled at for relieving themselves.

You may not have realized that keeping your dogs crated for long periods of time deprives them of everything that is natural and important to them. Dogs must be able to go outside to relieve themselves often and regularly, and they need space in which to walk, run, and stretch out. It appears that your dogs don’t even have enough space in their crates to stand up properly—in fact, they can barely turn around, let alone stretch out. Can you imagine what this must feel like? Dogs who are caged for extended periods of time usually end up aggressive, withdrawn, hyperactive, and/or severely depressed, and they can also develop other medical issues, such as muscle atrophy and coprophagia, meaning that they will eat their own waste in order to avoid lying in it.

Please understand that dogs are not toys or amusements or possessions just to have around. They are highly social pack animals, who crave the company of people and other dogs. They deserve to be taken for long walks, allowed to play in the park, and treated as valued family members, not inconveniences in a busy life. The Spartanburg Humane Society can find a more suitable home for these dogs, and PETA can help you if you wish by providing immediate transportation. For the dogs’ sake, please accept the humane society’s help. You will feel relieved and happy that you’ve been responsible and done right by them, rather than continuing in this way. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Merrilee Burke
PETA