To turn up the heat and give Meatopia attendees something to chew on, PETA supporters pitched up outside the barbecue festival and ‘grilled’ a lifelike ‘dog’. A banner reading “If You Wouldn’t Eat a Dog, Why Eat a Pig?” pointed out that pups and pigs are the same in all the ways that matter.
“Pigs have long memories, love their families, and wag their tails to express joy, just like the dogs we share our homes with,” says PETA Senior Campaigns Manager Kate Werner. “PETA urges anyone disturbed by the idea of cooking a canine to extend that compassion to all animals and please go vegan.”
Pigs are soothed by music, love playing ball, sleep in ‘pig piles,’ and even enjoy getting massages. Yet in the meat industry, workers chop off piglets’ tails, clip their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males—and the animals endure intense confinement before their throats are slashed in slaughterhouses. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, reduces their chances of developing serious health concerns like heart disease and lowers their carbon footprint. PETA offers free vegan starter kits to help anyone thinking of making the switch.
