After rescuing many animals, including dogs and cats, Bollywood actor and South Indian siren Amy Jackson teamed up with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India for a brand-new ad campaign that encourages people to share their homes with a homeless cat or dog. In the ad, she appears as an angel holding her rescued cat Alfie next to the words “Be an Angel for Animals: Adopt. Don’t Buy!” The ad was shot by ace photographer Nikki Lyons.
Jackson found Alfie when he was just 6 weeks old, abandoned on the side of a busy road in a box with four other kittens. Three of them didn’t survive, and Jackson and her sister adopted the other two, Alfie and Frankie. “Every time someone buys a cat or a dog from a breeder or a pet shop, a cat on the streets or in an animal shelter loses his or her chance at finding a good home”, Jackson says. “We can stop the cycle of animal homelessness and save lives by opening our hearts and homes to a loving cat or dog from an animal shelter instead of buying animals from breeders or pet shops.”
“Pedigree” cats and dogs, who have been bred for certain exaggerated physical traits, are susceptible to developing medical problems, including cancer, kidney disease, joint ailments, hip dysplasia, heart defects, epilepsy and eye and ear infections. Right now, homeless cats and dogs all across India are fighting for their lives. With only scraps to eat, many go hungry. Others sustain wounds that become infected and broken bones, are killed by vehicles or are abused by cruel people. Countless more wait behind bars in animal shelters because there aren’t enough good homes for them.
Indian cats and dogs make wonderful, loving companions. They are highly adaptable and quick learners. Indian dogs also tend to be free of many of the health and behavioural problems that plague their purebred cousins, who are bred for certain unnatural physical characteristics such as squashed-in noses and long ears. Best of all, when you make an Indian cat or dog a part of your family, you’re not only saving a life but also making a best friend for life. Jackson has been a long-time animal rights supporter and often speaks out on social-networking forums about issues such as animal adoptions and rescues the and cruel horse-drawn industry.
