
This is our Rose. And now she wants to be in a band, too. (Photo by Jessica Mahady)
Caninus is a grindcore band with the unique distinction of having a rescued pit bull as its lead singer. Yes, pit bull. And no, I’m not being metaphoric — that would be inappropriate and exploitative. Rather, the animal activists behind this New York-based band are using their platform (and their pup) to raise awareness about the plight of these darling dogs — not to mention animal adoption, and yep, veganism, too. According to the popular music blog Noisey, “Their song titles include ‘Bite The Hand That Breeds You,’ ‘Locking Jaws,’ and ‘Fuck The American Kennel Club.'”
Though Caninus hasn’t performed live, according to band member Belle Molotov (by way of Noisey), the “frontdogs” (sadly, there used to be two, but one passed away) were inspired to bark-sing through “lots of calisthenics. We practice ‘give me paw,’rollover,’ ‘take a bow,’ and give them lots of treats.”
Celebrities like Bernadette Peters and Susan Sarandon are are among Caninus’ biggest fans. After me, that is.