Dear Editor,
I’m writing in response to Avery Twible’s opinion piece “Man Tattoos Dog for Identification, PETA Passive in Response” (11 Apr.). While we appreciate the author’s efforts to call attention to cruelty to animals, we wish Avery had contacted us prior to writing this piece, which questioned our position on the issue. We could have clarified that as soon as this case came to our attention, we urged local and state officials to conduct an inspection and, if merited, to seize Rodriguez’s animals and file cruelty-to-animals charges.
The tattoos that PETA refers to on our website are for identification purposes. Number identification tattoos work like microchips; the numbers are registered so that a lost dog’s tattoo can be looked up and his or her guardian can be found. These tattoos should be small and only be performed with anesthetics in a veterinarian’s office—in other words, appropriate identification tattoos are nothing like what Rodriguez allegedly did. PETA is opposed to cosmetic procedures on animals, including piercings, ear-cropping, and tail-docking.
Thankfully, there is a lot that students at the University of Tampa can do to help animals! Simply encouraging friends and family to adopt animals from local open-admission shelters and never to purchase them from pet stores and breeders can save animals from tremendous suffering. Interested students should visitpeta2.com to learn more about our lifesaving work.
Best regards,
Kenneth Montville
College Campaigns Assistant
peta2