Pune: Animal Activists Stage Demonstration Highlighting Health Issues In Pugs
Pune: Animal Activists Stage Demonstration Highlighting Health Issues In Pugs
The demonstration took place outside the westside outlet, Fergusson College Road, Pune to raise awareness about the welfare of certain dog breeds.
26 April 2024
By Khushi Maheshwari
26th April was a significant day for all Pune dog parents and lovers who partook in a unique demonstration orchestrated by ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) in collaboration with Hope For Paws Foundation, on Fergusson College Road outside the Westside outlet.
The aim of the demonstration was to raise awareness about how certain popular dog breeds like pugs, bulldogs, boston terriers, etc., have to fight to breathe normally. Dogs who struggle with breathing belong to a type known as brachycephalic dogs (those with short noses and flat faces). These breeds are not evolved naturally but are bred in a specific way by breeders in order to appease customers who purchase them solely for their aesthetic value and puppy dog-eye look that resembles that of a human infant.
#Pune : Animal Activists Stage Demonstration Highlighting Health Issues In #Pugs……
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26th April was a significant day for all Pune dog parents and lovers who partook in a unique demonstration orchestrated by ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) in… pic.twitter.com/s78mnR0BnR
On account of their facial structure not being adapted to the external environment, critical situations arise when these dogs face obstacles in breathing. Typically, dogs like pugs have a shorter life span. According to the Campaign Coordinator of PETA, Atharva Deshmukh, the average lifespan of a pug is 10 years.
Essentially, the demonstration exhibited people dressed in pug costumes, wearing an oxygen mask connected to an oxygen cylinder to make a riveting statement about the breathing obstruction pugs (and similar dogs) generally face. The demonstrators carried placards that read “Pugs struggle to breathe, Don’t buy them!”
Throwing light on the public response to the demonstration, Atharva, who hails from Mumbai and has been working in PETA since one year, said, “There was a positive response from Pune people, passersby stopped in their way and resonated with our message. Our visuals were very clear and we did not even have to explain to them what the demonstration signified.”
While emphasising the need to eliminate the human-made breeding of these dogs, Atharva highlighted how, once the dogs are bought, what is inevitable is a lot of painful surgeries for them with no promise of their issues ever being cured. Therefore, he said, “There are more than 80 million indie breeds who are waiting for a good home” and urged every pet lover to adopt instead of purchasing foreign breeds for their aesthetic value.
Further, the PETA activist raised a pertinent question for all animal lovers and asked, “Why should one species be considered more important than other species?”. Reiterating the organisational motto, he called for an end to all speciesism and encouraged every human to work towards this cause.
