Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has created a new pet welfare campaign warning people about the dangers of extreme breeding.
The London-based charity has teamed up with celebrity animal lovers to curate a slogan fashion collection that highlights the hidden health consequences of breeding pets with extreme physical features, such as French Bulldogs.
Inspired by internet culture, the slogan-led range of clothing is designed to initiatiate conversations about the hidden health consequences of ‘Instagrammable’ pets. The collection features curated designs from Tasha Ghouri, Vicky Pattison, Yasmin Pettet, Faye Winter, Max Balegde and Pandora Christie and features slogans such as “Hot girls just want healthy pets” and “Cute but struggling”.
The charity will be holding a pop-up event in Battersea, South London, on Wednesday August 19 to invite the public to see the fashion collection and sign a pledge to champion healthy pets by putting welfare before appearance. The range is available to purchase online until September 15, with all proceeds going to help dogs and cats in the care of the charity.
Caroline Jenkins, head of campaigns at Battersea, said: “We want this fashion collection to be something people are excited to buy and wear, but more importantly something that sparks a bigger conversation.
“By taking our Cost of Cute campaign into the spaces where trends are created and shared, we hope to use a positive trend to disrupt a harmful one and ultimately challenge the way we think about pets including knowing what can lie beneath the ‘cute’ surface.”
Rehoming & welfare manager Laura Alwen added: “No animal should ever have to suffer in order for humans to find them ‘cute’, and it is heartbreaking to see so many dogs and cats paying an impossibly high price to look a certain way.
“All too often we see animals being brought to rescues like Battersea when their loving owners aren’t able to cope with the significant vet bills or care requirements they are facing because of the way their pets have been bred to look. Together we can prevent this from happening and ensure pets can live happy healthy lives with their owners who love them.”
