
PETA has had a busy year. The animal-rights group took umbrage with the makers of Luck and also weighed in on the proposed bill to make Toto the official state dog of Kansas. The cairn terrier achieved worldwide fame by starring in The Wizard of Oz back in 1939. Now more than 70 years later, Representative Ed Trimmer and Brenda Moore, of the South Central Kansas Kennel Club, were keen to endorse a permanent reminder of Toto’s role as Dorothy’s sidekick in the classic movie. PETA’s counter-argument was based on the potential effect such a designation would have on Kansas puppy mills. If the cairn terrier became the state dog, it could cause the mills to “churn out litter after litter of the breed,” said the animal rights group. Sure enough, a Kansas House committee turned the bid down but that hasn’t deterred Trimmer from reintroducing the bill in 2013. If he gets his wish, the cairn terrier will join the state’s roster of having an official reptile, bird, insect and amphibian. Navigating the yellow brick road was never easy.