'Animals' author blasts Hilton, Spears

Animal rights activist Karen Dawn has criticised Paris Hilton and Britney Spears for their treatment of pets.

The author of Rethinking The Way We Treat Animals said that the pair were creating a bad example for youngsters with their frequent purchasing of dogs.

She told the New York Post: "We've already seen Paris go through dogs faster than mojitos (cocktails), and I bet nobody warned Britney that California might soon force drivers to keep dogs safely restrained in vehicles - like babies.

"An impulse purchase of a companion for the next 15 years?...Nobody expects them to have the dogs much longer than 15 months."

Hilton revealed last year that she employs a zoo keeper to look after her 11 dogs, three ferrets, two rabbits, two monkeys and three cats.