The ASPCA should sue Hasbro!

I keep seeing a commerical on TV for something called "Puppy Surprise" by the Hasbro toy company. Being a pet lover, and more specifically, a dog lover, who advocates spaying and neutering ALL pets (Sorry people, there is absolutely NO reason not to, not even to possibly breed them one day -- leave that to professional breeders with show quality animals), I'm more or less disgusted with this 'toy.'



I would describe the toy, but I'll let Hasbro do it for me:

"The PUPPY SURPRISE toy line combines the plush animal play that young children love with a unique, surprise element," said Maureen Smith, vice president of marketing, PLAYSKOOL. "The one-of-a-kind look, along with the curiosity and wonderment the brand offers is something we want to bring back for preschoolers of today."

"With PUPPY SURPRISE, youngsters ages 3 and up, choose from one of three different breeds of dogs in two colors. The surprise and excitement unfolds once the child has taken her favorite puppy home and looks inside the dog’s belly pouch to find two, three or four puppies – how many the child gets is a surprise! The patches on the puppies’ cheeks match the pretty patch on the mother dog’s cheek. Next, discover if the puppies are boys or girls by looking on the insides of their ears. Blue ears means the puppy is a boy, and pink means it is a girl. Play time now begins as children style the dog’s hair, complete with bows, and care for their newfound puppies."

There isn't really much more I can say here, except SURPRISE, now your children will want their real dog to have puppies, and SURPRISE, try finding those puppies a GOOD home. SURPRISE a good percentage of unwanted puppies end up at the shelter later in their life and are killed. SURPRISE, get a clue!

I just think this is irresponsible of Hasbro as it leads children to believe that dogs having puppies is 'cute' and 'fun,' when really, it's actually a terrible problem in the United States, with an estimated 5 million dogs and cats being euthanized every year. It's sickening.

Here are some facts from the Doris Day Animal Foundation:

Why Spay/Neuter: Overpopulation Facts

-Two unaltered cats and all their descendents can theoretically number 420,000 in just seven years.
-Two unaltered dogs and all their descendents can theoretically number 67,000 in just six years.
-"No homes for littermates" is one of the top ten reasons people relinquish their cats and dogs to shelters.
-The top reason both cat guardians and dog guardians give for not having their pet altered is that they simply have not bothered to do it yet.
-Twenty percent of cat guardians think their cat is too young to be altered, and 18% say they are not able to afford spay/neuter surgery.
-Twenty-one percent of dog guardians want to breed their dog, and 13% think their dog is too young to be altered.
-An estimated 5 million cats and dogs are killed in shelters each year. That's one about every six and one half seconds.
-Tens of millions of stray and feral cats struggle to survive on their own outdoors. Although some are altered and live in managed colonies, most are not altered and receive no health care. They reproduce at will and many suffer from illness or injury before dying.
-Over half (56%) of dog guardians and nearly two-thirds (63%) of cat guardians rank pet overpopulation as the most important pet issue.
-In a study of relinquishment of cats and dogs in 12 U.S. animal shelters, 30% of the surrendered dogs were purebreds.
-The same study indicated that 55% of the surrendered dogs and 47% of the surrendered cats were unaltered.
-It costs U.S. taxpayers an estimated $2 billion each year to round up, house, kill, and dispose of homeless animals.
-Over 56% of dogs and puppies entering shelters are killed, based on reports from over 1,055 facilities across America.
-Approximately 71% of cats and kittens entering shelters are killed, based on reports from 1,055 facilities across America.