Actor Peter Dinklage has urged "Game of Thrones" fans to stop buying huskies just because they look like direwolves.
Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister in the hit HBO series, teamed up with animal rights organisation People for Ethical Treatment of Animals to address an alarming trend among fans who have been adopting huskies due to their resemblance to direwolves, only to abandon the canines once the novelty wears off, reports nydailynews.com.
He said: "Please, to all of 'Game of Thrones' many wonderful fans, we understand that due to the direwolves' huge popularity, many folks are going out and buying huskies.
"Not only does this hurt all the deserving homeless dogs waiting for a chance at a good home in shelters, but shelters are also reporting that many of these huskies are being abandoned -- as often happens when dogs are bought on impulse, without understanding their needs.
"Please, please, if you're going to bring a dog into your family, make sure that you're prepared for such a tremendous responsibility and remember to always, always, adopt from a shelter."
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Direwolves are well regarded by "Game of Thrones" fans due to their connection to House Stark, the series' main protagonist family. In the show's series premiere, the Stark family finds a litter of direwolf pups and adopts them, with each Stark child training and raising a wolf.
The loyal animals act as guardians and protectors to their owners throughout the course of the series, which is aired in India on Star World and Star World HD.
Dinklage is a longtime vegetarian and animal rights activist, who has previously worked with PETA on the "Face Your Food" campaign.
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