Ask Me Help Desk - Puppies as prizes in pageants :(

Puppies as prizes in pageants :(

I'm very upset.

I've started a thread before about the pageant shows on TV for little girls. I don't agree with pageants for children. To me it instils the belief that they're only as special as their looks that being pretty is the most important thing. But that's not the reason for this thread.

I was watching it today, because there was nothing else on and I was shocked when they announced that the winners of that competition would win a puppy! Yes, a puppy! No legitimate breeder would ever sell puppies to someone that would give them away as a prize to a competition.

Yes the kids want the puppy. Of course they do, the puppies are adorable. One of the mothers on the show was interviewed (as they usually do on the show) and all she had to say was "Lord help me if she wins the puppy".

So, these puppies are being given away as prizes to people that aren't ready for a puppy, probably don't want a puppy and aren't necessarily willing to care for a puppy.

Do they have a kennel at home, bowls, food, money for vaccines and vet care? Why would they? They weren't looking to purchase a puppy, it's a prize!

I'm shocked about this. I can't just let this go. I will be looking into contacting the producers of the show and expressing my concern. Hopefully this can get me contact information to the pageant people that make the decisions to do this. I'll see what happens.

Is anyone else upset about this? Am I overreacting? :mad:

Its not over reacting. But Im sure that they had announced it ahead of time to the contestants. The same problem goes on every year at easter and people give rabbits as pets. To me a pet is personal and not something to be given away as a prize.

Just when you think the pageants have reached a new low ,they find a new way to be stupid.

Did you ever see that little girl who is always on with her dog that she throws around ?

These parents should be brought to task for what they do!

I detest everything about it! Now I have another to add to the list of many why I think this is wrong ,just wrong on SO many levels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by califdadof3

Its not over reacting. But Im sure that they had announced it ahead of time to the contestants. The same problem goes on every year at easter and people give rabbits as pets. To me a pet is personal and not something to be given away as a prize.

Sadly that's why so many rabbits end up in the shelter, because they were either gifts, prizes or an impulse buy because "aw, it's soooo cute!"

They're complex pets. They need specialized care. I have yet to meet a pet store employee that knows diddly squat about rabbits. My 7 year old knows more then they do.

A puppy is even more work then a bunny. The cost of caring for a puppy is also a lot higher. The vet bills alone in the first year can be astronomical. It's unfair to give these living breathing animals away as prizes.

Give away a stuffed animal. No care required and if the stuffing gets ripped out you just shove it back in, sew it up and voilà, nobody dies. ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by artlady

Just when you think the pageants have reached a new low ,they find a new way to be stupid.

Did you ever see that little girl who is always on with her dog that she throws around ?

These parents should be brought to task for what they do!

I detest everything about it! Now I have another to add to the list of many why I think this is wrong ,just wrong on SO many levels.

I haven't seen the dog throwing girl. That would just make me that much more angry and trust me, I'm plenty angry already.

I would be willing to wager that the majority of puppies given away as prizes will end up in shelters.

Just another level of concern to add to all the rest.

When will people realize?

Rabbits aren't that hard you just have to watch their diets. And you can take them for a walk on a leash too :)

Plus, these puppies are being given to people who obviously have very busy lives being part of the pageant circuit and all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altenweg

I haven't seen the dog throwing girl. That would just make me that much more angry and trust me, I'm plenty angry already.

I would be willing to wager that the majority of puppies given away as prizes will end up in shelters.

Just another level of concern to add to all the rest.

When will people realize?

Hopefully we can stretch the advocates of animals even further to help them to force a new legislation.

I do believe they are overworked trying to fight this horrible ignorance and I do think we will get better and make the penalties more severe.

When we hit people in their pocketbook,that's when they pay attention!

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikosmom

Plus, these puppies are being given to people who obviously have very busy lives being part of the pageant circuit and all.

And they are part of the show.
Thank you Paris Hilton for that *dog as fashion* statement .Ugh!
It's a crazy world when you think that these poor kids are going to do well with the mindset they are being taught. Tsk,Tsk!

Alty, don't go any further with the pageant people. Get their contact info, maybe even misdirect them with Sydney, then forward the contact info to the SPCA. If this doesn't qualify as "cruelty to animals" I need to find out what language I speak.

If you contact the producers of the pageant, ask if they have sponsers and you can contact them too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by califdadof3

Rabbits arent that hard you just have to watch thier diets. And you can take them for a walk on a leash too :)

They aren't hard if you know their diets and their other needs. For instance, did you know that most vets have not one clue how to care for a rabbit. When I was looking for a vet to neuter Cotton one vet told me to give no food and water 24 hours before the operation. This is done with most animals because they can often vomit after surgery and if no one is there, they can choke on their own vomit.

Well, rabbits don't have a gag reflex. They physically cannot vomit. When I told the vet this his response was "hmm, didn't know that". What? You're a vet! :(

Also, did you know that rabbits teeth grow constantly? If they don't have something in their cages, or diet, to grind down their teeth then it needs to be done by a vet.

Do you know the difference between a rabbit and a hare? Most people don't. Heck, most people think that rabbits are rodents. They're not, they're lagomorphs.

Don't get me started. I could talk all day about rabbits. ;)

All of you have given me great suggestions. Trust me, I will get to the bottom of this and I won't stop until I get some answers or at least create awareness that this is going on.

The only ones that will suffer are the puppies. The kids, well, that's another post. Don't even get me started about how I feel about child pageants. :(

Time to make dinner. I'll be back. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altenweg

Don't get me started. I could talk all day about rabbits. ;)

They taste good too :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by friend4u178

They taste good too :D

You are definitely staying in a hotel if you ever come to visit me! ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by thisisit

If you contact the producers of the pageant, ask if they have sponsers and you can contact them too.

Great idea and PITA as well!

Quote:

Originally Posted by friend4u178

They taste good too :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by artlady

Great idea and PITA as well!

Artsy, do you eat wabbits too? Or maybe you meant PETA... :p

My dogs are my family... to me that is like entering a competition to win a brother or sister.

Dogs and puppies are not possessions or prizes, they are living, breathing, feeling creatures.

I have been getting slammed a lot lately because I show dogs and they are nothing more than money makers for us... that couldn't be farther from the truth but it's impossible to make some people see that.
I mean, I pay for the dog, I have to feed it, vet it, pay entry fee for shows, register it with the local council yearly, pay my own membership to the canine council. If I happened to breed it MIGHT recoup some of the costs if the dog has a large litter but when you think about the fact that the dog cost nearly $2000 then you have to pay a $1000 stud fee and you have been feeding and vetting the dog for 2+ years, AND having to pay for the puppies food and vet care...

Bleck, I'm babbling now but it gets me angry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikosmom

Artsy, do you eat wabbits too? Or maybe you meant PETA... :p

Lol. I was thinking the same thing. Pita is a bread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikosmom

Artsy, do you eat wabbits too? Or maybe you meant PETA... :p

Wabbit on Pita, with some grilled onions and peppers. Maybe Baclava for dessert. Yum.