A landlord has hit out at ‘wokery’ after he was pressured by animal rights activists to change the name of his pub.
To be fair, it’s not as if the name of a pub is harming animals, or causing anyone any problem at all, really.
If the name of the pub was actually offensive, maybe they’d have a case, but it’s actually just called The Old Bulldog after – you’ve guessed it – a bulldog.
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Mike Newton renamed the Staffordshire pub, which was previously The Sea Lion, after his own pet Atticus, a bulldog.
However, he’s now received a letter from PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – asking him to change the name to The Old Mutt.
In their letter, PETA even said: "We would be glad to contribute to the costs of a new sign and could even help with creating an adorable mutt-focused design."
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PETA added that ‘bulldogs and other flat-faced breeds are afflicted with brachycephalic syndrome, which causes laboured breathing, snorting, coughing, retching, tiring easily, and fainting’.
While that might be true, it’s just the name of the pub.
Anyway, landlord Mike Newton isn’t having any of it.
He changed the name of the pub more than a year ago, and doesn’t want to bow to any pressure that is put on him.
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Mike said: "I think it is very important that, while we all understand the need to provide animal welfare, our national symbols are not attacked.
“I also think the overwhelming majority of bulldogs and flat face breeds are happy, healthy dogs and as long as their owners care for them, feed them the right diet, and give them exercise, there is absolutely no reason why there should be any ban on them."
Mike bought the pub with his mate James Knowles before the pandemic hit, and said he wanted to get the name changed because of Atticus, adding: “We thought The Old Bulldog would be a good name.
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"We were feeling a bit insulted when we got this very patronising letter from the charity that represents the worst of wokism, telling us how to run our business.
"Initially I thought the letter was a prank. But then it turned out to be deadly serious.
“I do not think big charity should interfere with the small business."
Mike – who is from Stoke-on-Trent where the pub is based – continued: "I have grown up around here and have strong links to the area.
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"I want to put something back in the community. We have a wonderfully loyal client base. Potteries people are fantastic."
A spokesperson for PETA said: "Bulldogs have been bred so that their snouts are pushed against their skulls and there isn’t enough space to accommodate healthy anatomical features, making them prone to breathing problems. This is the leading cause of death for bulldogs.
"I hope you’ll agree that breeding dogs with unnatural features that cause severe health problems is cruel.
"This is why restrictions have been imposed on breeding breathing-impaired breeds in Norway and the Netherlands and why many other countries are looking to follow suit."
Tom Wood