Sarah Palin responds to PETA criticism with 'Chill, Trig didn't eat the dog' quip

Sarah Palin has told PETA to take chill pill after the animal rights charity criticized images, which shows her 6-year-old son Trig standing on their pet dog.

In an open letter, the 50-year-old former Governor of Alaska wrote to the animal welfare organization "Dear Peta, Chill. At least Trig didn't eat the dog", the Independent reported.

Palin had posted a photograph on Facebook of her son, who has Down's Syndrome, stepping on the dog as a New Year's message of good will to her fans, saying "May 2015 see every stumbling block turned into a stepping stone on the path forward. Trig just reminded me. He, determined to help wash dishes with an oblivious mama not acknowledging his signs for 'up!', found me and a lazy dog blocking his way. He has made his stepping stone."

Following her post, PETA said in a statement that Palin had "no apparent sympathy for the dog in the photo", continuing to say that "Peta, along with everyone else, is used to the hard-hearted, seeming obliviousness of this bizarrely callous woman, who actually thought it appropriate to be filmed while turkeys were being slaughtered right behind her in full view of the camera."

Palin in turn responded to the statement by accusing the charity of hypocrisy, pointing to a similar photograph posted by Ellen DeGeneres, named Peta's person of the year in 2009, which showed a child standing on a dog to reach the sink.

She also raised question that why didn't the organisation "go crazy" when US Presdient Barack Obama admitted to have "enjoyed eating dead dog meat".

Ingrid Newkirk, Peta president, said in a statement that "Palin's Facebook response showed that she knew "Peta about as well as she knows geography," adding that though they did know Palins' took good care of their pets, and wished the entire family a "peaceful and humane 2015.