Although most celebrity social media posts that feature cute babies or puppies tend to get a lot of praise, one recently shared by Kate Middleton and Prince William did not go over very well.
The royal couple was recently slammed by a representative of PETA and other internet users after revealing in the prince’s birthday Instagram post that their dog, Orla, had recently been bred and given birth to several puppies. Despite the positive comments about how cute the pups were, other internet users called them out for not rescuing puppies instead, especially since King Charles and Queen Camilla recently adopted a dog from a shelter. Read more about the puppy scandal.
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Prince William And Kate Middleton Share A Photo Of Their New Puppies On Instagram
The Prince and Princess of Wales have been photographed several times over the years with their dog, Orla, who is a female cocker spaniel that they were given as a puppy from the princess's younger brother, James Middleton, in 2020. The arrival of Orla didn't come long before their previous dog, Lupo, another cocker spaniel, passed away earlier that year.
Since then, Orla has been a beloved member of their family and has been photographed alongside their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. In a recent Instagram post in honor of Prince William's birthday on June 21st, the couple shared a photo of him with Orla's new black and brown puppies, confirming reports that they had bred her.
"Happy birthday!" read the caption alongside a photo of William sitting in some grass amongst the puppies.
"Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!"
The Royal Couple Are Slammed As 'Out Of Touch' For Breeding Their Dog
Once word got out that the future king and queen decided to breed Orla for puppies, and the photo was shared on Instagram, many fans shared messages of support, but other internet users were not pleased to learn that they had chosen that route.
Much of the backlash began when Elisa Allen, the Vice President of Programs for the People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), wrote in a statement that the couple was "out of touch" for breeding their dog instead of rescuing another from a shelter.
"The Prince and Princess of Wales should know that shelters here and worldwide are overflowing with puppies desperate for a second chance at a loving home, and that churning out a litter in the midst of this animal homelessness crisis is staggeringly out of touch," said Allen, as reported by People.
Other internet users began sharing their opinions on platforms like Reddit, where people wrote that the couple "missed" an opportunity to promote animal shelters and rescuing dogs that need homes, versus breeding new ones.
"I love pups, but it seems irresponsible when there are many shelter dogs needing homes," wrote a Reddit user.
Another Reddit user emotionally commented, "Imagine all the precious dogs' lives that would be saved at shelters if they adopted rescues."
The story was especially confusing to some animal lovers after it was announced that King Charles and Queen Camilla adopted a rescue dog named Moley from London's Battersea Dogs & Cats Home earlier this year. Advocates like Allen penned that the younger couple should "take a lesson" from the current king and queen.
