Following the troubling news that the Cleveland Browns’ mascot, Swagger Jr., passed away at the young age of 5, PETA is calling on the team to end its live-mascot program and adopt a logo featuring a brown mixed-breed dog from a local animal shelter instead.
Swagger Jr.’s untimely death should serve as a wake-up call and a damning indictment of a profit-focused industry that deliberately churns out doomed breathing-impaired breeds (BIB). Generations of breeding dogs for a certain look have left bullmastiffs not only struggling just to breathe but also prone to painful conditions, including hip dysplasia, cancer, and life-threatening heart issues.
Breathing-impaired breeds such as bullmastiffs are afflicted with an uncomfortable, debilitating, and sometimes fatal condition called brachycephalic syndrome. Going for a walk, chasing a ball, running, and playing—the things that make dogs’ lives joyful and fulfilling—are impossible for many BIBs.
By ending the live-mascot program and changing its logo to feature a homeless dog instead of one from a breeder, the Cleveland Browns would help encourage their fans and everyone else never to buy breathing-impaired breeds or any other dogs and to always adopt them from a local animal shelter.