Sarah Palin blasts PETA after backlash over photo of son Trig stepping on dog
Sarah Palin faced criticism online after posting a photo of her son standing on their dog last week, and she has now posted a response addressing the "double-standard radicals" who were angry with the photo.
The photos, posted on Jan. 1, were meant by Palin to be inspiration for the new year. Palin's 6-year-old son Trig -- who has been previously diagnosed with Down syndrome -- was shown standing on top of the dog's back, using the animal as a stepping stone as he washed dishes. The online response from the photos was overwhelmingly negative, even from Palin fans.
Among those posting negative responses was the animal rights organization PETA.
PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said of the photos, "It's odd that anyone - let alone a mother - would find it appropriate to post such a thing, with no apparent sympathy for the dog in the photo."
On Saturday Palin posted a lengthy response which began, "Dear Peta, Chill. At least Trig didn't eat the dog."
The "eat the dog" sentence was in reference to President Obama's memoir, in which he describes the things he ate as a child in Indonesia, including dog meat. Treatment of dogs was a source of back-and-forth criticism between candidates' supporters during the 2012 election season.
Palin found a post similar to hers made by Ellen Degeneres in July. That post has more than a quarter of a million likes on Facebook. She pointed out that DeGeneres was named PETA's "Woman of the Year" in 2009.
Palin also called Peta hypocrites, saying, "Aren't you the same anti-beef screamers blogging hate from your comfy leather office chairs?"
PETA issued a response to the media saying it wished the Palins a peaceful and humane 2015, but offering criticism such as "Palin's Facebook response shows us that she knows PETA about as well as she knows geography."
Palin finished by insisting that the dog in the picture, whose name is Jill Hadassah, is treated well by the family.
"Our pets, including Trig's best buddy Jill Hadassah, are loved, spoiled and cared for more than some people care for their fellow man," she said. "Jill is a precious part of our world. So is Trig."
