Animal rights organization PETA wagged its finger at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for buying a dog instead of getting one from a shelter.
“With the millions of homeless dogs out there, you apparently chose to buy a purebred puppy instead of adopting one from an animal shelter,” PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a Thursday letter to the New York Democrat. “Right this minute, on Petfinder alone, there are more than 110,000 dogs — including French bulldogs — who need homes. Animal shelters are bursting at the seams with hundreds of thousands more, many of whom will be ‘put to sleep’ for lack of a home.”
Ocasio-Cortez shared news of her new dog earlier this week on Instagram, showing a picture of the dog in a pet cage. “We are thinking something Star Trek related or Bronx/Queens/NYC/social good related,” she said.
The organization president begged Ocasio-Cortez to be “part of the solution” to end the “dog-overpopulation crisis” instead of adding to it. “Consider setting the right example for your millions of followers by adopting a mutt and encouraging them to do the same,” she said. “Not only will you be saving another dog’s life, the new dog will also provide your puppy with the companionship he desperately needs as your busy schedule takes you around the country.”
Newkirk was especially not happy about the pet cage, telling Ocasio-Cortez it was inhumane and she would send her a book about the topic. “We’re also sending you a copy of the book Dogs Hate Crates, which explains why crate training is not humane or effective,” she said.
PETA has not been shy about criticizing politicians in the past. In 2009, the organization slammed President Barack Obama for killing a fly, calling it an “execution.” “He isn’t the Buddha, he’s a human being, and human beings have a long way to go before they think before they act,” the organization said. PETA gave the president a fly trap that allowed him to release them outside.
In 2013, the group said Gov. Chris Christie killing a spider was a thoughtless act and he was not “pondering their worth.”
