It’s been a dark week in college football.
Earlier this week it was announced that the beloved Georgia Bulldogs mascot Uga X passed away in his sleep at the age of 10-years-old. As many pet owners know, dogs are simply the best, and it’s always so incredibly hard to see them pass on.
Even if you know that Georgia is just going to replace Uga with another identical looking bulldog (hence why they are named with roman numerals).
While Georgia fans were trying to come to grips with the tough loss (and I’m talking about the death of Uga, not Georgia’s loss in the SEC Championship that kept them out of the CFP), animal rights organization PETA decided the mascot’s death would be the perfect opportunity for a public service announcement.
Their post started out on a good note, but then quickly unraveled into a “how dirty and cruel of Georgia” type of message:
“RIP Uga. We’re hoping his passing reminds the University of Georgia just how irresponsible it is for them to be promoting unhealthy, breathing-impaired, flat-faced breeds like English Bulldogs.”
Pretty harsh for a group that is supposed to speak on behalf of animals…
If we’re being completely honest, Uga X (and all the former and future Ugas) lived a pretty pampered, comfortable life. Sure, he had to attend college football games, but most of the time he was sleeping in an air-conditioned dog house on the sideline.
Since PETA’s post was on X (formerly Twitter), a community note came out of nowhere to eviscerate their harsh claim about Georgia and Uga, saying:
“There has never been a report that Uga suffered or struggled to breathe and he lived a normal lifespan for his breed.
None of this is true. They aren’t doomed for a lifetime of health problems or suffering. They *can* have breathing problems.”
And the community note wasn’t the only thing that jumped to the defense of the University of Georgia and their beloved mascot. Social media users quickly got to their keyboards to set the record straight about Uga, and call out PETA for using his death as a PSA:
Ah, yes… try to capitalize on the normal death of an older pet who was well cared for. I wasn’t aware you were even still relevant anymore or that anyone asked for your opinion.
— Lauren Pearle (@UGAacct02) January 24, 2024
This dog had a better life than 95% of humans but do your thing
— Projection Sports (@ProjSports) January 24, 2024
The average lifespan of this breed is ~ 9 years (8-10)… so this dog lived a longer life than most bulldogs
— Ben (@benchiarelli) January 24, 2024
Mascot dogs are treated like royalty.
You’re such a classy organisation using a death of a dog to spread your message.
— Zack (@CptWilson11) January 24, 2024
I’m just here for the ratio
— The Grey Ghost (@TheGreyGhostGMC) January 24, 2024
For those that don’t understand the term “ratio,” it just means that a post generated more negative responses as opposed to positive engagement. The PETA post above is a textbook definition example of being ratio-ed…
