Molly Hatchet’s Bobby Ingram Sticks Up for ‘Man’s Best Friend’

In his latest effort to help PETA help animals, Molly Hatchet lead guitarist Bobby Ingram has recorded four brand-new radio public service announcements (PSAs) that encourage people to be responsible guardians of their dogs and cats. The venerable Southern band’s recent resurgence in popularity—they were recently featured on the Dukes of Hazard soundtrack—didn’t stop Bobby from taking time out of his busy schedule to remind people that dogs don’t belong on chains, that animals should never be left in parked cars, and that all dogs and cats should be spayed or neutered.

In one of the ads, Bobby addresses people who keep their dogs constantly chained. “No one likes to be on the outside looking in, but that’s exactly how a chained dog feels,” he says. “Many dogs spend their entire lives in ‘solitary confinement,’ trapped at the end of a chain …. All they want is to be part of the family. Please bring your best friend inside where they belong.”

In a second spot that warns against leaving animals in cars in warm weather, Bobby points out, “Even on a mild day with the windows cracked, the temperature inside a car can quickly soar to a deadly 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike us, dogs can’t perspire to cool down, so they can die from heatstroke within minutes.”

And because cat and dog overpopulation is a national crisis, Bobby recorded two ads about the importance of spaying and neutering. One unspayed female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in just seven years, and an unneutered male can help create limitless litters of kittens. Every year, millions of unwanted dogs and cats are dumped at crowded animal shelters, where more than half are put to death. The less fortunate ones are turned out to fend for themselves; most eventually die of exposure, disease, traffic accidents, abuse, or starvation.

This isn’t the first time that Bobby has teamed up with PETA to help animals. He signed on to PETA’s international “Kentucky Fried Cruelty” Campaign, and he donated a guitar for an auction to raise money for PETA’s Gulf Coast animal rescue efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Bobby is a longtime PETA supporter and a vegetarian.