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PAW Patrol could be in the doghouse for its portrayal of police

Many are calling for the show’s cancellation in wake of the unrest in America

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 22: A "PAW Patrol" balloon floats during the 92nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

The PAW Patrol pups are facing their biggest challenge yet in the wake of the unrest in America — cancellation.

At least, that’s what many are calling for on social media due to the show’s positive portrayal of the police as many across the nation take to the streets in protest of racial injustice and police brutality.

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The call for the show’s cancellation is trending on social media and is appearing in numerous Google searches on Thursday, according to Google Trends.

PAW Patrol is a Nickelodeon’s children’s show that features six rescue dogs in training, with each one “inspired by a real-world job like firefighter, police officer and construction worker,” according to the show’s website.

The group is lead by 10-year-old Ryder who helps guide the pups on each of their missions as they work to help those in need, the show’s website said.

The call for cancellation sparked after the show posted on its Twitter account earlier this week, claiming it would be muting its content beginning June 2 through June 7 to “give access for Black voices to be heard so we can continue to listen and further our learning."

Since the tweet, many social media users have come after Chase, a German Shepherd ‘pup hero’ that serves as a police and spy dog in the group.

According to an article by the New York Times, social media users targeted Chase, saying “Euthanize the police dog,” “Defund the paw patrol," and "All dogs go to heaven, except the class traitors in the Paw Patrol.”

This is the third week of protests across the nation, calling for change after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Some of these protests had ended with clashes with police, but many demonstrations have remained peaceful.

But, that hasn’t stopped protesters from not only calling out real-life police officers; they’re also calling out fictional ones, even if they are portraying officers in a positive light.

An op-ed by the New York Times said as citizens continue to shed light on police brutality and call for change, this also means we should take a look at how officers are portrayed behind the screen, even on children’s television shows.

“The effort to publicize police brutality also means banishing the good-cop archetype, which reigns on both television and in viral videos of the protests themselves. “Paw Patrol” seems harmless enough, and that’s the point: The movement rests on understanding that cops do plenty of harm,” the article reads.

The television show hasn’t yet responded to the calls for cancellation on social media.

However, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, retweeted the New York Times article, saying “The absurdity knows no end."

PAW Patrol isn’t the only show facing backlash amid the protests.

The A&E Network has canceled its police reality series “Live PD,” after receiving a report that a crew from the show filmed the arrested of a black man who died after being restrained by authorities, according to an article by the Associated Press.

The show “Cops,” on the Paramount Network, has also been dropped, the AP reports.

It’s currently unclear if the show will in fact be canceled. However, we’ll bring more updates as they become available.

RELATED: ‘Live PD’ dropped by A&E on heels of ‘Cops’ cancellation


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