Should Churchill Insurance Retire Bulldog Mascot? ‘Oh, Yes!’ Says PETA

Should Churchill Insurance Retire Bulldog Mascot? ‘Oh, Yes!’ Says PETA

London – Because promoting breathing-impaired dog breeds (BIBs) normalises their suffering from numerous respiratory ailments, PETA sent a letter to the owner of Churchill Insurance urging the company to retire “Churchie”, its English bulldog mascot. PETA notes that flat-faced breeds are susceptible to severe health problems – including brachycephalic syndrome – caused by their snouts being pushed unnaturally far back against their skulls and that the deformity is a leading cause of death for bulldogs.

“It’s no secret that the public is influenced by what they see depicted in popular culture, and as such, ‘Churchie’ has undoubtedly boosted the popularity of English bulldogs over the years,” writes PETA Director of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor. “The time has come for Churchill to say “Oh no” to bulldogs and any other representations of flat-faced dog breeds in its advertising.”

BIBs are bred for a particular look, resulting in drastically shortened airways that cause an array of painful and distressing symptoms – including laboured breathing, snorting, gagging, and collapsing – and makes dogs more susceptible to vomiting, exercise intolerance, heatstroke, and early death. Restrictions have been imposed on breeding them in several European countries. The Netherlands, which banned breeding flat-faced dogs in 2014, is now preparing to ban owning these animals or featuring them in advertising to address the cruelty of producing dogs with unnatural features that cause severe health problems.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]

#