Victory! Guggenheim Removes Cruel Exhibit Featuring Dogs Trying to Fight Each Other

Yes, yes, yes! The Guggenheim Museum in New York City is removing three pieces featuring animals from an upcoming exhibit called “Art and China after 1989” by couple Peng Yu and Sun Yuan. Speaking up works!

All three of the pieces involved animals, including one that outraged animal lovers everywhere. In a seven-minute video called, “Dogs That Cannnot Touch Each Other,” eight American Pit Bulls are seen trying to attack each other while on a non-motorized treadmill. The dogs never make contact with each other, further fueling the dog’s frustration. This particular exhibit garnered a lot of criticism because it perpetuated the idea that these dogs are, as the artists put it “naturally pugnacious.”

Of course, Pit Bulls are not inherently dangerous. Like any other dogs, they can become violent and aggressive through a lack of training, abuse, neglect. Not to mention irresponsible ownership and breeding, as well as a lack of attention to health and temperament issues. If they are treated with respect and trained properly, Pit Bulls will exhibit little to no negative traits (just ask a loving Pit Bull adopter!)

In another piece, that was thankfully removed, live animals, including reptiles, amphibians, and insects would be trapped in a glass enclosure for attendee viewing. The third piece was going to show a boar and sow mating, stamped with the gibberish and nonsensical English words, according to the New York Times.

Animal lovers protested outside of the Guggenheim and an online petition that asked for cruelty-free exhibits received over half a million signatures. The museum said they were removing the pieces “out of concern for the safety of its staff, visitors and participating artists.”

We are happy to know that because thousands of compassionate people voiced their concerns, the Guggenheim finally understood that cruelty is not art. If you are as happy as we are about this great victory for Animal rights, please share this story with your friends and family!

Image source: Rob Swatski/Flickr