We’ve all seen them by now — videos of celebrities and civilians getting a bucketful of ice water dumped on their heads to raise awareness of ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease). The dumpee then nominates someone else to go through the same ordeal — hence the name “Ice Bucket Challenge.”
But in what TIME refers to as a “cutesy turn,” dogs — including Sutter Brown, the Corgi belonging to California Gov. Jerry Brown — are now being subjected to having ice water dumped on their heads.
What’s so cute about that? The dogs have no idea what’s going on, and most of them look downright miserable in the videos.
Jennifer Fearing, deputy director of the Humane Society of the United States and a friend of Sutter’s, told Carla Hall of the Los Angeles Times that she doesn’t think the dog dunkings are cruel.
“I wish people would worry more about serious animal abuse issues,” she said. “Would you like a list? It’s unfortunately long.”
If humans want to participate in this insanely popular fad, fine. Overnight Wednesday, $6.1 million was donated to the ALS Association, which has raised $31.5 million in just one month. That’s 16 times more than the association raised in July and August 2013.
But please, people, even if it’s not considered abuse, don’t subject your dogs or other pets to an ice dunking. Just go ahead and donate the money to the ALS Association — or perhaps to your favorite animal shelter or rescue group — instead.
Sorry, Sutter Brown.
Photo via Facebook