PETA Asks Kids If They'd Eat Their Dog for Thanksgiving

Right before Thanksgiving, when moms all over the US are thinking of the big holiday dinner and what they're going to stuff the turkey with this year, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is making a bold move to convince the Americans that a better idea would be to turn vegetarian.

A new billboard has been popping up all across the US, showing a “turkeydog,” half dog half turkey, looking very lovingly into the camera.

This time, PETA is not targeting adults, since the ad is directed at children. The caption reads, “Kids: if you wouldn't eat your dog, why eat a turkey?”

In a statement on the official website, PETA says that eating turkey is not only cruel to the birds because of the tortures they're subjected to before they're killed, but also very unhealthy.

In other words, only an irresponsible parent would feel their kids turkey this Thanksgiving.

“Turkeys raised for food are kept in crowded, dark sheds where the ammonia from their accumulated waste burns their skin,” PETA says.

“At slaughterhouses, turkeys are slammed upside down into shackles and dragged through electrified water. Many birds have their throats slit while they're still conscious and able to feel pain,” adds the controversial animal rights group.

“Stuffing kids (or anyone) with turkey is also bad for their health: In addition to artery-clogging fat and cholesterol, they also could be gobbling up arsenic, which is used to combat disease on filthy factory farms,” PETA ads.

“Other dangers of eating turkey include contracting listeria, salmonella, or campylobacter bacteria, which cause millions of cases of food-borne illness each year,” says the group, trying to paint a very distressing picture of the risks of eating turkey.

While many feel that PETA makes a valid point in that eating turkey for Thanksgiving supports a cruel industry, with farms where the birds go through hell before they die, few can agree with the shock tactics employed.

One of the things most frequently thrown back at the group is that it should offer alternatives and not just interdictions. Also, campaigning against eating turkey right before Thanksgiving is definitely not something that Americans can get on board with, voices online are saying.

To get a better idea of how PETA feels about Thanksgiving, check out below an older banned ad.