Valerie Macon / AFP;Kim Kardashia/Instagram
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PETA is calling out Kim Kardashian after she gifted each of her four children their own puppy for Christmas
PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk spoke out about the gifts, saying that "puppies are not plushies"
Kim shares kids North, 12, Saint, 10, Chicago, 7, and Psalm, 6, with ex-husband Kanye West
PETA is calling outKim Kardashianafter she gifted each of her four childrentheir own puppy for Christmas.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Sunday, Dec. 28, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) founder Ingrid Newkirk spoke out about Kim's gifts to herchildren: North, 12, Saint, 10, Chicago, 7, and Psalm, 6, all of whom she shares with ex-husbandKanye West.
"Puppies are not plushies, and it's a damn shame that Kim missed the chance to be a spokesperson for shelter pups and instead is being rightly slammed on social media for that," Newkirk said.
Kim Kardashian/Instagram
Newkirk also advocated for Kim, 45, and her sisterKhloé Kardashian— who also gifted a dog to her family for Christmas — to "call PETA or a local shelter the next time" they want to add another dog to their family.
"[They can] try to make some amends now by sending their kids to volunteer at a local shelter or paying for a local shelter adopt-a-thon or at least one spay day to help stop the growing homeless puppy crisis," the PETA founder said.
A representative for Kim Kardashian did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Kim shared a series of Instagram Stories on Christmas, revealing that her family has grown to include four small Pomeranian puppies: two with dark fur, one with a cream coat, and one with sable fur.
On a photo of all four dogs together, Kim wrote, "Each kid got a puppy."
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Khloé, 41, also shared photos of a black Labrador retriever puppy on her Instagram Stories on Dec. 25,revealing her family got the dog as a Christmas gift.
Kim and her children have posted photos of their pet lizards over the years, including a bearded dragon namedSpeed. They also have several other Pomeranians, includingtwo that joined the family in 2019. Kim additionally has a Pomeranian namedSushi.
The Kardashian-Jenner family as a whole hasacquired a number of pets over the years, including dogs, cats, reptiles and even horses.Kylie Jenner, Kim and Khloé's youngest sibling, has a multitude of dogs, while sisterKendall Jennerowns a horse named Arizona.
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