Written by Nancy Lee, as part of her Social Marketing Sightings theme.
Sighted on: Fox News
Social Issue: Mass Shootings
Social Marketing Strategy: Nonmonetary Disincentives
Actress and Shelter Hope Pet Shop founder, Kim Sill, announces gun owner supporters will not be given the opportunity to adopt pets from her shelter. “We do not support those who believe that the 2nd amendment gives them the right to buy assault weapons,” wrote the Shelter Hope Pet Shop in Thousand Oaks, California, according to their website. “If your beliefs are not in line with ours, we will not adopt a pet to you.”
The news article highlights PETA’s rebuttal claiming that the homeless animal crisis should be prioritized.
“Animal rights nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) pushed back against a California animal shelter’s decision to turn away potential pet adoptees based on their opinions about gun control.
Catie Cryar, the assistant manager of PETA, told Fox News Digital that they have known the shelter “to do good work and are sure they have the best intentions, but from PETA’s perspective, because there is a homeless animal crisis, what counts is that adopted animals are treated well and cared for and that is the criteria we feel is important.”
Kim Sill’s responses to Fox News included;
“Adoption facilities like mine turn people down for all kinds of reasons,”
“They can turn you down for the kind of dog food you tell them you’re going to use on that dog you want, or the kind of cat litter. I mean, seriously, we are a private nonprofit, and we pride ourselves in trying to find the absolute best homes for the dogs and cats that we can.”
The article also stated that Sill has received hundreds of death threats from people calling the shelter, but added that she forgives them.