Pete Davidson has hit back after PETA criticized him for choosing to buy a new puppy rather than adopt a rescue.
The former Saturday Night Live comedian, 29, was recently spotted buying a new Cavapoo puppy with his girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders from Citipups in New York.
The new addition to the family came after Pete tragically revealed in May that his beloved two-year-old dog Henry had died after getting ill suddenly, leaving them bereft.
However, Pete's decision to buy a new pet rather than rescuing one in need of a home from a shelter led to PETA releasing a statement criticizing him for supporting the puppy trade.
PETA's Senior VP of Investigations, Daphna Nachminovitch, wrote in a statement: "It’s tragic that Pete didn’t seek out a borough-born mutt from a city animal shelter, because a scrappy New Yorker with charm, personality, and unconventional handsomeness could have been his perfect match.
"Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, Peta urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future."
Pete did not take kindly to being put on blast for his new pet and ended up leaving an explicit voicemail message slamming the organization for their comments - which ended up being leaked to TMZ.
In it, he is heard saying: "Thank you so much for making comments publicly that I didn't adopt a dog. I just want to let you know that I am severely allergic to dogs so I have to get a specific breed. I am only not allergic to Cavapoos and those types of dogs.
"And my mom's f**king dog, who was two years old, died a week prior and we were all so sad so I had to get a specific dog."
Cavapoos are among the most hypoallergenic dogs - though no dog is 100 percent hypoallergenic - and tend to cause fewer symptoms in allergy sufferers such as Pete.
He then signed off by saying: "F**k you, and s**k my d**k."
Pete explained to TMZ why he chose to leave PETA a voicemail: "I haven't seen my mom and sister cry like that [after Henry's death] in over 20 years. I was trying to cheer up my family.
"I was already upset that the store had filmed me without my permission or acknowledgment. Then this organization (PETA) made a public example of us, making our grieving situation worse. I am upset. It was a poor choice of words. I shouldn't have said what I said, but I am not sorry for standing up for myself and my family."
He admitted that he was unaware that he could "adopt a specific hypoallergenic dog" and said he was advised that "it wasn't an option, and if it was, it was rare."
Despite Pete's expletive-filled rant, PETA doubled down on its response, telling People: "Our hearts go out to Pete and the rest of the Davidson family for the loss of their beloved dog, but there's no excuse for promoting the puppy mill industry by buying a dog from a pet store when millions of wonderful dogs await loving homes in animal shelters.
"Anyone set on finding a dog of a specific breed can go to shelters, where an estimated 25% of dogs are 'purebreds,' check with adoption groups, or search Petfinder online.
"Many pet shops pacify concerned people with empty claims of working with 'reputable breeders,' but there's no such thing — puppies in pet stores, almost without exception, are obtained from puppy mills, deplorable massive dog prisons where hundreds of breeding dogs, and their puppies are intensively confined and denied everything that's natural and important to them, including basic socialization, exercise, grooming, and veterinary care. That's part of the reason why New York state banned the sale of puppies in pet shops (effective in 2024)."
It added: "We know Pete cares about animals and was trying to do a nice thing for his family, but he has millions of impressionable fans, and his choices matter - so the next time he's ready to welcome an animal into the family, we hope he makes the compassionate choice to adopt, not buy."
Pete had opened up about the tragic death of Henry at the start of May in an Instagram post shared by his friend Dave Sirus, as Pete doesn't have social media of his own.
Sharing a series of photos of him and his family with Henry, Pete wrote: "Hey guys. I know today is the Bupkis premiere day but I wanna use today to remember my dog Henry. Yesterday we lost a key member of the Davidson family. Henry was only 2 years old but unfortunately got very sick very fast.
"My mom, sister and I got Henry at the beginning of the pandemic and he saved our lives. Not sure id even be around without him.
"He was the happiest and sweetest dog ever. He used to get excited when he saw me and would pee everywhere. When I was working at SNL my mom would send me videos of him watching, smiling and making noise when I came on screen. I don’t ever really watch any of my stuff with anyone as I’m far too scared but I didn’t mind watching with Henry. He was truly the best.
"My mom, sister and I are broken and will miss him forever. We love you Henry. Thank you for making our lives fuller and reminding me what actually matters."
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