As Snoopy Bids MetLife Goodbye, PETA Has a Job Offer

‘Peanuts’ Character Could Become the ‘Poster Dog’ for PETA’s Emergency Winter-Doghouse Program

For Immediate Release:
October 24, 2016

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

After more than 30 years, MetLife is firing the Peanuts gang—but Snoopy doesn’t have to hit the unemployment line just yet. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—has sent the company a letter asking for Snoopy to become the face of PETA’s doghouse program, which gives shelter to dogs left outdoors without even the basic necessities for survival. Unlike Snoopy—who comes inside whenever he pleases to spend time with Charlie Brown—these dogs are forced to live outdoors 24/7 within the same few feet of space.

“A doghouse is no substitute for a real home indoors with the rest of the family, but it makes a world of difference to the dogs who would otherwise spend all winter with scant protection from the fiercest snow and harshest wind,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “As PETA’s poster dog, Snoopy would bring unprecedented attention to the plight of so many of his fellow four-legged friends.”

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Iconix Brand Group, Inc., follows.

October 24, 2016

John N. Haugh

President and CEO

Iconix Brand Group, Inc.

Dear Mr. Haugh:

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 5 million members and supporters worldwide in response to the news that Snoopy has been fired from MetLife. Now that he’s out of the insurance business, we’re hoping he will come help his fellow four-legged friends. Since he’s well-known for his doghouse, we’d like to offer him a position as poster dog of PETA’s Community Animal Project. A doghouse is no substitute for a real home in which dogs sleep at their guardians’ feet, but it makes a world of difference to the animals who previously had nowhere to escape from the scorching sun or cold winds.

Every day, PETA helps dogs who are languishing alone in backyards without even the basics for survival, such as food and shelter. They’re often tied up outside 24 hours a day, sometimes with nothing more than a card table, a plastic carrier, or an overturned trashcan for shelter. Some have no shelter whatsoever, even in freezing temperatures and blinding snowstorms.

For more than 15 years, PETA has driven into low-income, depressed areas and given thousands of durable, solid doghouses—free of charge—to dogs who otherwise would have to endure the bitter wind, ice, and snow without any shelter or with just a sheet of metal or a board up against a fence. Thanks to PETA, many formerly hopeless dogs—such as Blackie, who was ankle-deep in mud and shivering from the cold when PETA staffers found her in a North Carolina backyard, and Bear, who had only a pile of garbage to huddle under for shelter—have also been given toys, treats, desperately needed attention, affection, and respect for their individuality.

While we at PETA obviously would prefer if people always allowed their dogs indoors, we acknowledge that this is not a reality in many situations. As winter approaches and the temperatures drop, we would love it if Snoopy would spread the message to take dogs indoors while promoting the work of PETA’s doghouse program as a poster dog. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing back about this job offer.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk

President