A new Victor E. Bulldog to take over as Fresno State mascot. PETA says it’s cruel

Thaddeus Miller
Updated ·2 min read
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As one Victor E. Bulldog is set to retire from Fresno State and pass the collar to his namesake, PETA on Friday called for the university to retire its live mascots forever.

Officials plan Sunday during Vintage Days at Fresno State to retire Victor E. Bulldog III in a “passing the collar” ceremony to his successor, Victor E. Bulldog IV.

After hearing the news, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk issued a statement condemning the use of a live mascot. She called the English bulldog a breathing-impaired breed.

“Shame on Fresno State for forcing a breathing-impaired breed with a grotesquely flat face to choke, cough, gag and suffer in the sweltering heat as its ‘mascot,’” the statement said. “If the university’s athletes suffered from deformed windpipes, they’d lose every game — and some of them would lose their lives from exertion.”

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says breeding and buying breathing-impaired dogs like French bulldogs, pugs and English bulldogs is cruel.

Decades of breeding have led certain breeds to have brachycephalic syndrome, which are abnormalities in the airway.

Victor E. Bulldog IV is introduced as Fresno State University’s newest live mascot during a press conference at the Smittcamp Alumni House at Fresno State on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. Victor E Bulldog IV will officially take over for the retiring Victor E. Bulldog III during a changing of the collar ceremony in the spring.
Victor E. Bulldog IV is introduced as Fresno State University’s newest live mascot during a press conference at the Smittcamp Alumni House at Fresno State on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. Victor E Bulldog IV will officially take over for the retiring Victor E. Bulldog III during a changing of the collar ceremony in the spring.

“Continuing this trend will only inspire more people to support cruel breeders, and PETA reminds Fresno State that the ‘Passing of the Collar Ceremony’ involves passing on debilitating deformities to dogs who can’t enjoy happy or healthy lives and urges the school to switch to a costumed human,” the statement said.

Fresno State has the live mascot but also TimeOut, a human in a costume.

Fresno State is the only school in the California State University system with a live mascot. The tradition started in 1935 with a white, purebred bulldog named Touchdown.

Timeout, the Fresno State mascot, runs onto the field with Bulldogs’ cheerleaders before the start of their game against Tulsa at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.
Timeout, the Fresno State mascot, runs onto the field with Bulldogs’ cheerleaders before the start of their game against Tulsa at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.

Fresno State’s live mascot is a point of pride and serves as an ambassador to students, faculty and others at live events and sports, according to Jacqui Glasener, who is the executive director of the Fresno State Alumni Association.

“First and foremost, we want to affirm that the health and well-being of Victor E. Bulldog III and Victor E. Bulldog IV is our first priority,” she said in a statement. “We have strict guidelines and protocols in place to ensure that they are both well-cared for, including receiving routine checkups from world-class veterinarians in Fresno and at one of the nation’s largest veterinary schools, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.”

Both live mascots stay with a loving family, which is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care for the bulldogs, she said.

“Our live mascot program has been a cherished tradition at Fresno State for decades, and our beloved bulldog mascots are an integral part of bulldog pride,” she said in the statement.

PETA in January called for a similar live mascot retirement when it said the University of Georgia should retire its live bulldog, Uga. The school’s athletic director declined.