Pete Davidson isn’t first star scolded by PETA for buying pet instead of adopting

If Pete Davidson felt attacked by PETA this week over his decision to buy a new dog from a pet store instead of adopting one, he can perhaps take comfort in knowing that he’s not the first celebrity to be scolded by the animal rights organization for helping to fuel an overcrowding crisis of homeless dogs and cats at community shelters.

Over the years, PETA has publicly rebuked a number of celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian for wearing fur or for otherwise flaunting lifestyle choices that the group says compromise animal welfare. More recently, the organization has called out Paris Hilton, Justin Bieber and Alec and Hilaria Baldwin for publicizing their ownership of so-called designer dogs and cats, which they would have purchased from upscale breeders.

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin’s purchase of at least two Bengal cats from an upscale breeder in recent years was seen to be especially egregious, given that Hilaria Baldwin publicized the cats’ arrival in their home on Instagram, and the influencer and her movie star husband have boasted about their support for PETA and different environmental causes.

Davidson’s clash with PETA erupted late last week after the “Saturday Night Live” comedian and his current girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders were spotted at Citipups, a Manhattan pet store, buying a 2½-month-old cavapoo puppy, TMZ reported. Davidson was all smiles finalizing the purchase of the puppy, in video footage that Citipups posted last week.

Pete Davidson is a proud #DogDad as he shares the first trick he is going to teach his cavapoo, Rodney Dangerfield. pic.twitter.com/I7IKbn6guZ

— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) June 6, 2023

But within days, PETA was weighing in on Davidson’s decision. Daphna Nachminovitch, the senior vice president of Cruelty Investigations at PETA, told TMZ: “It’s tragic that Pete didn’t seek out a borough-born mutt from a city animal shelter, because a scrappy New Yorker with charm, personality, and unconventional handsomeness could have been his perfect match.”

PETA urged Davidson to consider adopting the next time he needs a four-legged friend, with Nachminovitch telling TMZ: “Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, PETA urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future.”

Davidson was incensed by PETA’s comments and lashed out by leaving an angry, “unhinged,” and profanity-laced voicemail for Nachminovitch, TMZ reported Tuesday. Davidson said he purchased the puppy for his mother, whose dog, Henry, recently died. He also said he is “severely allergic to dogs” and that Cavapoo dogs are known to be nearly hypoallergenic.

Pete Davidson Leaves PETA Unhinged Voice Mail Over New Dog, Says He's Defending Family https://t.co/ox19QGs8G1

— TMZ (@TMZ) June 7, 2023

In a follow-up statement to TMZ, Davidson apologized for his choice of words in the voicemail but he indicated that PETA’s criticism was unfair and he was still upset.

“I haven’t seen my mom and sister cry like that in over 20 years,” Davidson said of his family’s reaction to Henry’s death. “I was trying to cheer up my family.” Davidson said he also was upset that the store had filmed him without permission and that PETA was trying to make a public example of his family, “making our grieving situation worse.”

For its part, PETA replied to Davidson’s comments by expressing sorrow for Davidson and his family for the loss of their dog, TMZ reported. But PETA also showed no signs of backing down from its original position, saying, “There’s no excuse for promoting the puppy mill industry by buying a dog from a pet store when millions of wonderful dogs await loving homes in animal shelters.”

PETA also said that “there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog,” which is something Davidson would have learned, “if he had done his research.” PETA added people can find specific breeds of dogs, including purebreds, at shelters or through specialized adoption groups.

Recent estimates from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals back PETA’s point that shelters are filled with cute, loving animals that would make wonderful pets. Some 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters every year, with close to 1 million of being euthanized because they weren’t adopted, the ASPCA said.

In 2020, PETA announced an ad campaign, starring “Max the shelter dog,” to encourage “famous” people to stop getting their pet cats and dogs from breeders and pet stores, Page Six reported at the time. The ad also encouraged people to consider adopting adult dogs and cats, who can make loving pets but who usually have a more difficult time than puppies and kittens in finding homes.

“I hear that some of you whose faces are on the big and small screens have spent a lot of money buying puppies from breeders,” Max is quoted as saying in the ad, according to Page Six. “That’s why there aren’t enough homes for dogs like me. “Sure, I may not be a puppy — but I still have years of life ahead of me and so much love to give.”