The large inflatable canine stuffed in a hot dog bun got everyone's attention during the Thursday lunch hour in downtown Houston. The pictures of the bloody chicken, though, were enough to make at least a few people reconsider their dining options.

"We've had a lot of people walking by reading the signs," Phil Letten of Mercy for Animals told CultureMap at the corner of Smith and Clay. "It was a good event overall and we seemed to interest a number of people in adopting a vegetarian lifestyle."

Armed with its new hot dog balloon, the Los Angeles-based organization is touring through the particularly carnivorous states of Texas and Louisiana to shed light on the realities of where consumers get their meat. After stops in Dallas and Austin, the team will be moving on to McAllen, Corpus Christi, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport.

Along with intern Krystina Tucci, Letten held a large white banner that pretty much summed up the message of the animal rights protest — a puppy and a piglet sitting together under the words "Why eat one and not the other?"

"Not a single federal law provides protection to animals living their lives on factory farms," Letten said. "They are capable of experience the same pain and suffering as the dogs and cats we have at home."

It's a rather convincing argument. One can get arrested and even do time for being involved in dog fighting. However, if a chicken or a pig spends its life in a cage only to endure a violent slaughter, there's not a single law to prevent it.

"We're really here today to let people know that the only difference between what we call a pet and what we call a meal is our treatment of them. All animals feel pain and pleasure in the same way," Letten said.

"This is a civilized society and it's our moral obligation to protect all animals from needless cruelty, including those living on farms. The best way to start is to adopt a compassionate vegetarian diet."