For many years people have been drawn to Ugg boots. They are warm, cute, and comfortable, but does everyone know the truth behind making them?

Uggs are a fleece-lined sheepskin boot that originated all the way in Australia and New Zealand. Today, Ugg is a very popular brand and a must-have addition to any wardrobe.

Not only does Ugg make boots, they make slippers and other shoes too.

But lately, many people have been refusing to buy any product from the Ugg brand.

Due to a video posted back in 2012, people have begun boycotting the Uggs brand because the sheep are brutally shorn and often murdered in order to create the soft fur inside the boot.

Many of the sheep are beaten and tortured by workers until they are ready to be skinned. There are cages filled with shearling sheep and instead of just taking some fur, the sheep are skinned brutally until blood is drawn. Every year, there are millions of sheep that are castrated, often without any pain killers.  It is considered “normal” in Australia for approximately 3 million lambs to die every spring just to make Uggs.

Not only are the wool and sheepskin items cruelly produced, it is bad for the environment. “The Environmental Working Group found that sheep are the worst greenhouse-gas polluters—even worse than cows—which is why they’re often referred to as the “Humvees” of animals. Wool production also degrades land and pollutes the water supply,” says peta.org.

Wearing Uggs can cause pollution, and not only is it terrible for our environment, some say that wearing them represents animal abuse.

The Ugg company wants to convince people that Uggs are comfortable and cool to wear, and that’s exactly what they did. Because it is a name brand, many people want them.

They have brainwashed people to believe that you will be in style if you wear these boots. They have convinced the world to believe that they are affluent enough to afford these popular boots.

The boots may be very fashionable but, the way they are made is UGGLY. Animals should not need to be tortured and killed only for a pair of shoes.

A PETA investigation found that when sheep are sheared for the first time, as lambs, they cry out loudly because, according to one worker, “they’ve been separated from their mums and they’re calling for them.”

The sheep are probably scared and confused. They are also not fed and are not given any water nor do they have protection from the freezing cold or the blazing heat.

The Ugg company could simply shave the fur off without inflicting any pain onto the animal. Instead, workers are rough with the sheep and skin them to the bone.

There is nothing pretty about boots that cause harmless animals to suffer. Companies including Pawj California and Airwalk offer cruelty-free boots that are just as comfy.

These animals are helpless and have done nothing to deserve the cruelty they are given. Take a stand and stop wearing uggs once and for all.