“Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage lends his support to the campaign by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to reduce the number of dogs and cats left in animal shelters annually. Dinklage who plays Tyrion Lannister in the immensely popular HBO series urged fans of the show to avoid buying Huskies if they cannot care for these dogs or understand the dogs’ needs. He encouraged fans to adopt instead.
Huskies became a popular breed for many buyers and fans of “Game of Thrones” because of their resemblance to the fictional Direwolves associated with the House Starks.
According to breed-specific rescue groups in Northern California, they have observed that the number of people buying Huskies doubled over the last two years. Even in the U.K., a similar trend was also seen since “Game of Thrones” began in 2011.
In the show, each of the five Starks siblings and Jon Snow were given a Direwolf to care for. This animal is displayed on the Stark sigil and is considered a symbol of this northern House.
The direwolves became constant and loyal companions to the Stark children even acting as protectors in times of great peril. Bran’s direwolf, Summer, save his master from an assassin and died fighting the wights in the last season of “Game of Thrones.” Jon Snow’s, Ghost, also protected his master on several occasions.
Adopt from a shelter
Peter Dinklage addressed his appeal to “Game of Thrones” many “wonderful fans.” He said that many fans were buying Huskies due to the huge popularity of the Direwolves. Because of this, the chances of homeless dogs to get a good home become less likely and that Huskies were being abandoned due to lack of understanding by the owners of what these dogs need.
In his statement, he implored the show’s fans who are planning to get a dog to be prepared for such a “tremendous possibility” and to adopt from a shelter.
6 million dogs and cats abandoned
According to data provided by PETA, there are six million dogs and cats that were left in shelters annually. More than half ended up being euthanized because of the limited amount of space and available homes.
What the appeal hopes to accomplish is to help lower the yearly statistics.
"Game of Thrones" is not the first show to influence the increase in popularity of a certain dog breed. PETA pointed to movies such as "101 Dalmatians," "Men in Black," "Legally Blonde," and "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" caused the rise in demand for each of the dog breeds featured in those films.
According to the animal rights group, these dogs were later abandoned by their owners because of lack of knowledge about how to care for the animals.
