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For immediate release:
March 25, 2021
Contact:
David Pearl 202-483-7382
Washington – March 30 will mark 40 years since President Ronald Reagan was gunned down near the Washington Hilton, and PETA shares the story of Kirk – named after PETA President Ingrid Newkirk – K-9, whose partner, DC Police Officer Thomas Delahanti, was shot dead in time protecting the president.
At the time, Newkirk was the head of the District of Columbia, where she worked with the Metropolitan Police Department to mate dogs like Kirk with the police, who treated them like fellow officers and lifelong family members. After Officer Delahanty was shot and killed, he retired, so Kirk retired with him – and their retirement party, which Newkirk attended, was a backyard blast with loads of K-9 splashing in the pool.
“As in 1981, animal shelters today are full of stray dogs who just need a family and a little love, understanding and patience,” says Newkirk. “It may be an unusual way to celebrate what happened 40 years ago, but PETA encourages anyone in a position to do so to consider paying tribute to Kirk and Officer DeLahanty by raising or adopting a dog.”
About 70 million dogs and cats are homeless in the US at any given time, and an estimated 10% of them end up in animal shelters, where many must eventually be euthanized for reasons including injury, illness, old age, emotional and psychological damage and lack of good homes. This is why PETA encourages people to adopt from shelters and never buy from breeders or pet stores, contributing to a crisis of stray animal overcrowding.
More information on Kirk is available on the PETA blog and in Newkirk’s book. Let’s have a dog party…
PETA, whose motto is in part that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way,” is opposed to arrogance, a worldview focused on human superiority. For more information please visit PETA.org or subscribe to the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram…
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