Planned PETA Billboard Recalls Alleged Camden Child Abuse

The artwork to be used in the advertisement depicts a baby sitting in a filthy yard, his neck shackled with a chain.

That image is accompanied by the words, “CRUEL! Kids don’t belong in chains. Dogs don’t, either. Families belong indoors.”

According to the report, Camden’s current ordinance prohibits pet owners and caretakers from restraining their pets outside for more than two hours straight.

PETA has been outspoken on its blog about the issue of restraining animals. 

Following the arrests Tuesday, PETA senior editor Alisa Mullins blogged about the planned campaign, stating that dogs, like children, are “highly social beings who need love, attention, exercise and social interaction” to naturally mature.

"We also believe it is inhuman to treat any living being this way, which is why we are hoping to place this billboard in Camden to encourage residents to be on the lookout for abuse," Mullins wrote.

The unidentified boy who was allegedly abused in the incident that inspired the campaign, as well as his five siblings, were taken into custody by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency on Tuesday. The children range in age from seven months to 11 years old.

Their caretakers, Brian L. Craig, 29, of Blackwood, and Florence M. Pollard, 31, of Camden, were both charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree criminal restraint. 

Craig was released on $100,000 bail at midnight on Wednesday, Camden County Jail officials said.

According to the report, it is not yet known where the billboard will be placed in the city.