[tattooyu]

This is a copy of a letter I sent to a few KTLA news people on Facebook as well as CC'ed Teresa.

Dear KTLA crew,

I would like to start this letter by saying that I am not a zealot, but rather a concerned pet owner who believes in the respectful treatment of all animals. My wife, Marie, and I are in our thirties and are guinea pig owners. The Disney movie “G-Force” looks to be a fun, well-made family movie about a commando guinea pig force that we are both excited to see.

(The commercials for the movie do show a shot of a guinea pig in an exercise ball, which can really injure their spines. Guinea pigs spines are not made to bend backward.)

However, I am not here to protest the movie but rather to try to inform and educate.

My concern, and the concern of a lot of other guinea pig owners out there, is that the movie will spark a trend in breeding, purchasing and, ultimately, the dumping of neglected or unwanted guinea pigs at rescues and shelters which are already overflowing.

Pets are not disposable regardless of how small they might be.

Guinea pigs are loving, sensitive animals that have a lot of personality and bring much joy. However, they are very high maintenance and can become ill easily (they can heal just as quickly). Most people are not prepared to take care of them for their lifetime, which is 5-7 years on average, and do not consider proper diet, housing, veterinary costs, etc.

If I had to boil down my main concerns, it would be:

1) Before deciding to get a guinea pig (or any animal), parents should educate themselves on the care, housing and diet they require.
2) PLEASE DO NOT BUY FROM PET STORES. Pet stores normally buy their animals from breeders, only contributing to the overpopulation. Moreover, breeders may not be aware that breeding certain guinea pigs can result in “lethals” that have horrible health problems, including blindness.

The following website is a portal site that links to three other websites with great information on how properly care for guinea pigs: http://www.guineapigs.info.

It’s not the movie or the production studios I think are the issue. It is the parents that need to act responsibly when a child whines, cries or screams that they want a certain pet that they saw in a movie or on TV. I don’t know what, if anything, you can do to help get the word out, but I wanted to give it a shot before the movie is released on Friday, July 24, 2009.

Sincerely,



Kenny