People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Monday requested telecom company Vodafone to stop using pugs in its advertisement, saying the "not normal dogs" are always in pain.
In a letter to Vodafone India Ltd CEO Sunil Sood, the animal welfare organisation said the pugs are genetically compromised species with exaggerated features developed to look cute. Such features, however, cause them constant pain including difficulty in breathing, it said.
A recent Vodafone ad had featured about 30 pugs.
"These dogs have become popular in India, thanks largely to your commercials, and are purchased by people who are usually unaware that they're severely compromised genetically by being bred for unnatural traits, such as tiny flat noses, bulging eyes, and folds of skin," PETA CEO Manilal Valliyate said in a letter.
Asking Vodafone to pass a policy prohibiting the use of animals in its advertising, he said animals like pugs are used in entertainment industry where they often become frightened and overwhelmed by the chaos, loud noises, bright lights and countless retakes on film sets.
Valliyate said while the pugs typically face issues like dental disease, spinal deformities, intolerance of exercise, chronic irritation, pain, skin infection and eye problems like lagophthalmos, or an inability to close the eyelid completely or to blink properly causing drying of the central cornea, they also have "an especially hard time in the heat... in India's climate—and are susceptible to suffering from heatstroke and to collapsing and dying in high temperatures".
"As a veterinarian and the CEO of PETA India, I'm writing to you on behalf of our more than 10 lakh members and supporters to urge you to stop using pugs in your advertising," he said in his letter.
Unaware of their pain and several possible medical conditions, people often buy pugs and in many cases later dump them, said PETA.
"One Delhi group found four abandoned pugs in a span of just 10 days," it said.
"They face physical deterioration, neglect, abandonment or even death when their guardians fail to recognise medical issues, can't afford to pay their veterinary bills, or refuse to provide them with the care that they require," the letter said.