Contact:
Michael McGraw 757-622-7382

Newkirk will accompany a hunter into the field, check trap lines, help a cowboy get decked out for the rodeo, clean cages in an animal experimentation laboratory, or even attend a cockfight (but only in New Mexico or Louisiana, where the activity is legal). One of Newkirk’s hundreds of thousands of supporters, however, might outbid the competition and hire her to escort them on a cruelty-free holiday shopping spree, help them veganize their kitchen, or give them a personalized lecture on how to understand what would make dogs and cats happier in their home.

Newkirk also issues fair warning to bidders whose intent is to make her squirm: Be ready to land in the hot seat because she will not hesitate to speak up if she witnesses animal abuse.

"One thing that might give hunters, animal experimenters, or factory farm owners pause is the knowledge that their money will be used to fight hunting, animal experimentation, factory farming, and other cruel practices," says Newkirk. "But I’ll pledge to be a dutiful, hardworking, efficient personal assistant, and maybe my presence will make them stop to think about the misery they cause for animals."

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 850,000 members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organization in the world. Founded in 1980, PETA operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.

PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in factory farms, laboratories, the clothing trade, and the entertainment industry. PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.