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The saga of Molly, the stolen and ultimately returned Logan Circle area dog, has garnered the interest of aggressive animal rights group PETA. The group sent out a press release today urging pet owners never to leave their animals tied up alone outside. From the release:
Molly, the 7-year-old Vizsla who was dognapped after her guardians left her tied up unattended outside a Washington, D.C., Whole Foods store, is one lucky dog: She was returned to her family safe and sound nearly a month after she was taken. Many dogs who are left unattended are sold under the table, used as "bait" in fights involving pit bulls, or suffer other miserable fates. PETA urges guardians never to leave dogs or cats alone outside a store, restaurant, or anywhere else, even for "just a minute." That minute may haunt an animal guardian for the rest of his or her life.
Leaving animals outdoors unattended invites tragedy. Tied up alone, animals can easily be stolen, attacked by other animals, or subjected to random acts of cruelty. If spooked by a loud noise, an animal might also slip his or her collar in a panic and get lost or hit by a car. Scared dogs can bite children or adults—even those with the best of intentions—who approach clumsily.
All good points, though we'll admit we're curious to hear how our most indignant commenters feel about making the same arguments as the group that once compared eating meat to the Holocaust.
The rest of PETA's Molly-related message is after the jump.
PETA recommends that you take the following simple precautions to protect your animal companions' safety:
- If you plan to run errands while you're out walking your dog, bring a human companion along. That way, someone you trust can run the errand while you wait with your dog or vice versa.
- If you must stop somewhere where dogs aren't welcome, drop your dog off at home, where he or she will be safe and comfortable. Your animal companion's safety is well worth making a side trip.
- Never leave your dog in a parked car during the summer for any amount of time, even with the windows slightly open. The inside of a car can reach deadly temperatures in minutes.
"Dog theft and other dangers should be taken very seriously," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "It only takes a second for a dog tied up outside a store—out of your sight—to be abducted. Please never leave your animal companions alone outside a store, restaurant, or anywhere else."
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here we go..............
People Eating Tasty Animals?
Wow, pertinent and original!
And you too!!
I was in Blowing Rock, NC a few days ago and I saw a new Mercedes parked on the side of the road with a dog inside. I made a comment to my wife that it was cruel, and she agreed.
She handed me a Sharpie from her purse and I wrote "Think of Molly" on the window.
No joke.
Were the windows cracked open at all?
Why were you vandalizing a new car with permanent marker? That's also not very nice.
And who the hell gave that town its name?
Permanent marker isn't permanent on glass. It's a bitch to get off, but that was the point, methinks.
It's a "bitch" to get off. hehe
In America it's OK to cruelly treat living. feeling, thinking animals for personal pleasure and profit, but "hurt" inanimate property and you're a criminal. BTW windows are washable.
In Soviet Russia, inanimate property cruelly treats you!
If the windows were cracked open, and if it were nice enough out, I'm sure it was comfortable enough in there for the dog. It probably wouldn't be any less cruel to leave the dog at home. If it was super hot outside, or if it was for a long period of time, then no, obviously. I'm just saying two wrongs don't make a right. Unless you're Kim Jong Il, George Bush or Celine Dion.
Of course, if it was 90 degrees out and the dog had been in there for 45 minutes, then feel free to replace Sharpie ink with your own feces.
@dues, that's an awfully casual and inaccurate view of what happens inside a parked car. I'm pretty sure there are lots of studies out there but this is the first one that popped up on my search: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/car_heat.html
in Maine - the police smash car windows if dogs are left behind in the summer heat.
Next time, write with lipstick. It's much messier.
Irish nationalist Bobby Sands got his message across by smearing feces on his prison walls.
Just sayin.
Expo would have been a better choice or a note on their windshield.
The real question is why do people feel the need to bring their dog everywhere.
We take our dog everywhere because we like our dog more than you. If it was a choice between saving you or our dog, I can tell you who's going to be licking my toes later that night.
You make your dog lick your feet? I'm reporting you to the fair labor division of PETA!
BTW, I bet you could get plenty of DCist commenters to lick your feet at night.
FEET!
I also enjoy my companion animals more than random internet strangers. It is a pretty natural response to want to save the life of an animal (human or not) that you know rather than some stranger but if you did save me who's to say I wouldn't be willing to lick your toes as well?
Well, the point was to make them think. Sharpie will come off a car window fairly easily if you actually break out the windex, otherwise it takes a lot of scrubbing. Either way it comes off without damage.
It was an unseasonable warm day in Blowing Rock, about 85 degrees. The windows were not cracked, I looked. Also, we walked up the street and back down, so the owner was obviously not just running in a store "for a second."
I am not a vandal, but the whole Molly story really hit me hard.
No, it's too late. The only way to get the ink off that window is to smash it. Then they have to get a newER Mercedes because the window is broken.
You've ruined everything just like the dog did in the backseat when you surprised him/her by writing on the window.
Don't try to take it back now. No, too late.
Take it back? I don't want to take it back. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Wow. PETA actually saying something intelligent? Someone's been sneaking bacon again.
That definitely was not "nearly a month," was it?
What we need is another Vietnam to thin their ranks out.
Based on the rampant binge drinking this generation has, or will, experience in their late teens to early 30’s, most will die before their 45 birthday...Obamacare is based on this fact.
Which will be offset by population growth.
Does war strip one of their understanding of animal cruelty?
Probably!
Said like random commoner from the simpsons
Proud to donate to PETA once a month.
You'd be wise to donate to a more deserving non-profit such as Compassion Over Killing. Unlike peta, COK doesn't require cheap hooks to get their message across.
You'd be wise to donate to a more deserving non-profit such as Compassion Over Killing. Unlike peta, COK doesn't require cheap hooks to get their message across.
COK? Srsly??
Did I stutter?
Donate now: https://ibiz.isiservices.com/peta-e/peta/donation.asp
"Many dogs who are left unattended are sold under the table, used as "bait" in fights involving pit bulls, or suffer other miserable fates."
And some have called PETA histrionic.
I absolutely agree. They should have simply said "this was just dumb" and left it at that. Whenever they try to overdramatize, they lose people, just like they lost me.
Not sure if "this is just dumb" would be taken very seriously and/or be an affective use of anyone's time. While I agree that they methods are wrong for many of their national campaigns, there's nothing to really overly dramatic going on in this message. This sort of thing happens all the time, sending out a few paragraphs of helpful tips IS the appropriate response. Organizing protests outside the owners residence demanding to "Free Molly!" would be too much.
The reason no one would take it seriously is because they see "PETA" at the top of the press release and stop reading. And your comment misses my point. The tips are reasonable, no disagreement there. The language quoted by Kevin is not.
Although I do like the suggestion of a sit-in outside the owners' house. We could puffy-paint "Free Molly" signs and have group hugs.
"We're not! Gonna! Protest!"
Gutter is a tool.
Definitely agree with the lack of creditability the peta brand carries these days. Since I have personally benefited by their work (accidentally vegan list) I cannot say that everything they do is overly dramatic but they definitely use that card too frequently. Part of me thinks there should be peta reform (from a numbers aspect) or it just be replaced by a superior non-profit.
I think the quote isn't totally out of line, they are just bringing up situations that some people may not be aware of (dogs as bait). I think the problem we have here is that peta is a global organization, they probably have prepared responses for situations like this and while some might find it useful to know about some of the reasons dogs are taken it also walks the line of using scare tactics.
A better response I think would have been to mention the actually numbers of dogs missing in the District since the beginning of the year. Another option would be to try to reach out to Whole Foods about some sort of dog valet service, but that might not work for some urban locations.
I am not trying to be a jerk, so don't take it that way.
The "Accidentally Vegan List" is just a bunch of over-processed junk food for the most part. I was disappointed.
So much of the fun of being a vegan comes from cooking and thinking about your meals, not shoving Bisquick and Hormel Chili down your pie hole.
The accidental list has come in handy for things like Halloween candy but I agree with you that the bulk of the list is full of crap that people would be better off avoiding.
• If you must leave your dog tied up outside a grocery store, be sure to get a tasty meat bone from the butcher to smooth over whatever ill feelings your dog may have developed while you shopped.
PETA would only recommend a tofu bone.
Unless that particular animal died of old age or natural causes.
Not really, wood (cedar plank) is generally used to replicate bones in vegan cuisine. Just because a animal died of natural causes does not mean it is then "fair game". Shall we begin harvesting the elderly, it's meat too, and if they're done with it why not.
I find your views on repurposing the elderly intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
No newsletter, we just buy advertising in the obituary section.
[Got a dead body? Sell it for cash!]
Yeah, that wouldn't ever happen.
So what the hell happened to Molly? I don't feel as if I've gotten closure on this whole mess.
I think we need to arrange a happy hour between the commentariat and its newest mascot.
Sounds great - we can all go into the bar, have a few drinks and leave our pal Molly tied to the... oh sh*t!
You mean a Yappy Hour? I'll bring my Pets.com sockpuppet.
Molly sold her story for six-figures to Dreamworks. It's the standard rags-to-bitches story of a down-and-out dog and her mentally ill captor, ending with a tearful reunion, and subsequent rise to fame among the canine congnoscenti. It's kinda like Homer's The Odyssey, only with worse breath. Working title: What Makes Molly Run?
I really hope Molly gets a Walk--the kind that makes money not the kind where you end up with a full, warm bag of poo. Like those children with all sorts of ailments like autisms, spasms, and minimalisms. If children that get dropped on their heads get a Walk, Molly should, too.
The Molly Walk For ______. Cost is a hundred dollars to do anything.
Excellent advice. While PETA is easy to poke fun at, their comments are spot on.
The only thing they forget is my registered trademark. That will be 25 cents please, for each use of Molly ®.
I've heard of this story several times since the incident happened and I just want to say that I'm glad the dog was returned safely. However, the owners need to get a better grip of their own actions. Whole Foods is a busy place and it's bustling with people coming in and of it. Shame on the owners for leaving Molly outside unattended. That's like leaving a tethered child outside while you shop. Think people!
Wait, you shouldn't leave children tethered outside while you work/shop? I'll be right back....
They have a tetherball pole in front of Whole Foods?
Goddam hipsters! What's next? A four-square box outside of Camelot?
Nah, wouldn't happen...if you actually go inside and ask for Klaus, you can get a four-box square for $350.
Oh...four-square box. I see where the disconnect is...my bad.
Finally, somebody stood up and said this.
I mean, somebody other than the 250 people who already said it. Bravo!
I thought animal rights people were against all pet ownership.
Animal ownership yes, cohabitation no. Personally I'm against the idea of ownership in general. I've heard numbers ranging from 3 to 5 million dogs are put to sleep every year, through adoption fewer animals die. Peta probably said that at some point but true animal advocates know not to support Peta.
It isn't a day worth living if a picture of Molly isn't occupying the first box at the top left of the first page. She is seriously the gift that keeps on giving.
DCist has gotten great mileage out of that picture.
I'm just glad it isn't Harriet Walters, Banita Jacks, or Peter Nickles in his Deathlok the Demolisher costume.
Just wait until she has puppies, then the real apocalypse will commence.
Isn't that "pupocalypse?"
WHAT?!?!? Molly's a mommy? Is that what happened to her? Don't tell me some pervert got her preggers. OMG. I hope to God that Deep isn't the father.
As Maury Povich would put it: When it comes to being a father......DEEP.....You are not the father!
Just be looking out for some Inter-species after-life.
That's right..................CHUDOG!
Well I love my dogs, and I try to bring them everywhere with me. It makes their quality of life better. If I go in a store I makes sure my dogs are where I can see them. If I leave them in my car its only for a minute and my sunroof is open. If this city is ever so morally bankrupt that I have to worry about my dog then I will move. I know DC is teetering on being that city but for now my dogs go with me.
Oh wow, you TOTALLY didn't get it, did you? It DOESN'T matter if you can see your dog. It takes a second to be stolen, slip its leash, get attacked by another dog, attack a bystander, and you won't be able to do a thing about it.
And that whole "It makes their quality of life better" thing is a load of crap. Dogs are a lot of work, and they would get the same, if not better, quality of life if you took them for their own special walks, took them to dog runs (which I have found are all over the city), and played with them on your own property. They wouldn't run the risk of getting hurt, stolen, or hurting someone else.
And DC is a fine enough city. You'll find dognapping no matter where you go, especially if your dog is purebred or well behaved. So why don't you start treating your dog with respect and take the time to properly take care of them. You may love your dog, but leaving it unattended isn't a way to show it.
he gets it, he just doesn't agree with you. i know that's not allowed on this site on this topic, but them's the facts.
Is Molly a hipster?
Let's see, she bolted DuPont to live "the scene" in Columbia Heights, but returned to mommy and daddy when things got tough. Yup. She's a hipster.
You know, besides 2 alarmist lines in this message, I actually agree whole-heartedly with waht PETA is saying. If they wrote all of their messages like this, they wouldn't be treated like donkeys.
**My last statement does not intend to convey that donkeys should be treated as beasts of burden or thought of as inferior creatures. Gus, after all, was an infamous and amazing field-goal-kicking donkey. Think about that.**
DONKEYS ARE PEOPLE TOO!
It's DC--we know all about asses.
I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually agree with something PETA is speaking out on--wholeheartedly! I've been saying this since day 1 of this story and I stick by it! The truth hurts...
Ditto. My thoughts exactly. I for once AGREE with PETA! It makes me feel all weird inside...
WTF is it about this dog that makes everybody go ape$h!t? If they could just bottle it, you could spray it in your boudoir and that special someone would tear you apart and eat you alive. And it would probably still smell better than that toilet water Britney Spears is peddling.
What can I say? People love me. QUICK! Someone check Vizsla sales for June and July '09.
I AM A SUPERSTAR!!
I AM A SUPERSTAR!!
Molly the Dog is so badass she once turned two pit bulls into her own 'bait' used to catch a 12 lb. black sea bass.
http://www.mollythedoglegend.comI guess now is the perfect time to reveal that I will be penning "The Molly Memoirs" with a special chapter focusing on my crazy-day ordeal.
Out Spring 2011.
I thought Molly doggy paddled into North Korea, only to be retrieved by an ex-president and then greeted on the tarmac by the most adorable little puppy until I caught myself blubbering like a little girl.
Wait, that had to have been a dream, because if Molly swam into North Korea, she totally would have been eaten.*
*Get it? Because Koreans eat dogs because they're gross.
Molly is the new gun debate.
BTW-still think she ran away because she was embarassed by the cupcake collar.
I thought she was run over by a Maryland driver?
If Molly is the new gun debate, then where's Jim Graham's common-sense dog leash legislation making it illegal to leave a dog unattended? Oh. Waitaminit. It already is illegal.
Anyway, the least they could do is have Peter "Deathlok" Nickles claim to be living up to the spirit of the law, yet making it illegal to own a dog without a $300 license and two weeks pet training. Mixed breed or "assault" dogs are still illegal.
OMG, will this story please, please, please die finally?
Or at least put it to sleep humanely. I say we make it listen to either Sufjan Stevens or sigur ros.
If Molly gets captured by the North Koreans, you can bet this story will die, alright.
We could slow boil the story's legs and flavor with pepper, salt and onions for a really comforting winter stew.
Shut your face. Molly is EVERYTHING!
NEVER!!! Molly lives on forever! All hail Molly, queen dog of the blogospheres!
Someone with a whole lot of free time today should create a Molly G.I. Joe PSA.
I just read Marion Barry signed Molly ® up for a $600,000 consulting job. She will document the rampant problems of dogs (and kids) tied to trees outside of supermarkets.
That would be great, if Ward 8 had supermarkets.
But what will he call her if she ever sets him up?
Excellent comment!
Yes, but then there's the awkwardness of the trip they'll inevitably make together to Denver...
Wait...I'm sensing a separated at birth situation. Can we get a photo of Molly in a dashiki for comparison purposes?
That comparison of eating meat to the Holocaust is actually pretty accurate if you've ever been unfortunate enough to use to bathroom at Ben's. Show me another room that smells like burnt corpses and is worse than Hitler and I'll show you the crappier at Polly's.
Sorry I had to Godwin this thread, but c'mon, almost a hundred posts because PETA said something about a dognapping?
In their defense, PETA did offer this wisdom the day we heard Molly was abandoned. No wait. They offered it the day Molly came home. Whatever. At least they were super timely and current-like.
PETA forever lost any moral high ground with the meat eating = holocaust campaign. Don't tie your dog up for a couple of minutes while you quickly go into a store? Please... try don't spin genocide for your campaigns.
PETA remains the only group that can make the Birthers look good by comparison.
Is it really that unfair of a comparison? While I think it is a waste that peta chose this topic for a campaign, it's their MO to create controversy in order to initiate debate. Many more non-human animals are killed annually than human animals killed during the holocaust. Is the life of a human animal greater than that of a non-human animal? How does one determine that, intelligence? Pigs are more intelligent than cats/dogs yet the mass killing of their species is "acceptable". Need we all forget that humans coexist on this planet, as a species we cannot exist without many "edible" species. Factory farming also kills people, and is one of the most dangerous jobs out there. There's also the pollution associated with animal agriculture which kills people (e coli).
Don't be so naive, only a couple of minutes is more than enough time for someone to steal your dog too.
You complain about one comparison and then follow up with your own abhorrent to reasoning. Birthers are conspiracy theorists, which is in no way related to animal rights. I'm no fan of PETA but Birthers are anti-American and that in my book makes them significantly worse.
Is the life of a human animal greater than that of a non-human animal?
To other human animals, yes, it is.
Quiz: A human animal baby and a non-human animal baby (a puppy, let's say) are both drowning. You can only save one. Which one do you save?
You state that "yes it is" but offer up no rationality to defend your perspective. To other human animals that are speciesist it might be a no-brainer but fortunately not all humans feel that way.
Tough question, there are many factors that could determine my reaction. I would put myself in harms way to protect my family in the event that either the puppy or baby were a member of my den but I can't really say one way or another because life isn't so black and white.
It's like on Lost when Jack tries to save Joanna but ends up only being able to save Boone who just ends up dying anyway. You know who hasn't needed to be saved from drowning on Lost? Vincent.
Thanks for the laugh.
Thanks for the compelling counter argument. Ignorance is bliss.
I humbly propose that DCist institute a "Molly Update of the Week" feature. Guaran-damn-teed 100 comments per post.
If not that, just stick "Molly" into the headline of any story that might need a little oomph: MOLLYPOCOLYPSE!
I still want the DCist Molly Happy Hour. It'd be huge. C'mon Sommer, make it happen.
Yes, Jakers! Yes! A Molly Liberation Day (MOLD) Happy Hour. Celebrating the July 20 triumphant emancipation of our favorite Vizsla.
[jazz hands]
Animals still aren't people, no matter how much you lonely people want them to be.
Ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff; ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff. Ruff ruff ruff, ruff ruff, ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff. Ruff ruff ruff!!!!!!!!!
Is that how your week's been, girl?
People aren't animals? Scientific classification would disagree.
News flash, lonely people aren't the only ones that care about animals. Gross generalizations make for poor arguments.
Yeah, but they're still pretty entertaining. IF you manage to crowbar poop, Hitler, and Sinclair Skinner into the same gross generalization.
I celebrated this rare occasion of actually agreeing with something PETA said by eating a delicious sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich.
Molly's not wearing any underpants. I see Loudon County.
I see Francis Farmer.
Molly, you is a bitch!
now me thinks this molly is one lucky dog