In the beginning of November, an article from the NY Daily News told the story of Maya, a chihuahua who belonged to the Cerate family, that was stolen and euthanized. According to Mr. Cerate, two women walked onto his property and took his dog from the front porch. Video surveillance confirmed his story and the women had driven away in a truck with PETA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals) logos on the side. A few days later the two women returned with a fruit basket and told the family the dog had been euthanized but did not give any reason why they took the dog in the first place, why the dog was euthanized, or why (if any) this act furthered the goals of the organization.

The women were charged with larceny but the prosecutor decided to drop the charges because there seemed to be a lack of criminal intent. It’s unclear what aspect or element was missing that could make the charge impossible to push through. However, it is clear that two women trespassed onto Mr. Cerate’s property and stole his other property (Maya). If anything, that’s at least a civil claim right there of trespass, right? Then later when they returned with a basket, admitted to taking the dog and euthanizing it.

It’s a bizarre story but it’s not outside the character of PETA. The organization has been documented to have done some rather strange actions and sometimes downright unethical. In 2005, PETA was found to have killed numerous dogs and cats in the back of their van and dumped the bodies in a dumpster behind a mall. They were charged with 21 counts of animal cruelty which were then lowered to littering and then dropped. PETA has some top notch lawyers. The case was dropped because the argument hinged on whether a dumpster was an appropriate place to throw out garbage. The garbage was dead animals.

PETA has a reputation for frowning upon people keeping pets in their homes. The organization believes this is a form of slavery and finds it unacceptable. However, theft and destruction are not the answers and, if anything, hurts other animal welfare groups by their outrageous actions.

To read more about the Cerate families run in with PETA, check out the article at WOBC.com.

Image from Facebook:Stand for Maya