If you've suffered through having your heart broken (and who hasn't?), you know it feels like you want to die. But if your heart actually were to (physically) break, you really could die. So as Valentine's Day nears, PETA is placing this digital billboard in two locations in Montgomery, Alabama—a state with one of the highest rates of heart disease in the nation.

Why do vegetarian hearts have an edge over carnivorous tickers? A recent study found that vegetarians are 32 percent less likely to suffer from heart disease. In fact, staying away from all the saturated fat and cholesterol in meat, dairy products, and eggs gives vegans a significant advantage in avoiding a range of life-threatening diseases, including cancer, strokes, and diabetes. 

And when your healthy heart starts beating in rhythm with that special someone's, it's good to remember that vegans also get a boost in their love life because we're less susceptible to sexual dysfunction. So whether your heart needs Cupid or a cardiologist, there's one prescription: Go vegan! 

When PETA got a call from a worried supporter in Alabama about two dogs tied to a tree who she feared had been abandoned by their owner, we immediately called the police. But when police officers inspected the property, they determined that since the dogs weren't emaciated, they couldn't seize the animals without speaking to the owner first.

The officers left a notice on the door, but for several days they heard nothing from the absentee owner. PETA vigilantly followed up with the police—each time the officers told us that they had heard nothing, and each time we implored them to confiscate the dogs. Meanwhile, our caller cared for the pups, giving them food and water and untangling their tethers when they became so knotted that they could barely move.

Finally, the dogs'owner contacted the police, admitted that he was never home to care for the dogs, and agreed to surrender them. At last, the police collected both dogs and took them to the local animal shelter. It wasn't long before the two friendly animals were adopted by people who did want to care for them. 

These chained, neglected dogs were fortunate that they had an attentive neighbor who made sure that help came before it was too late. Please, if you suspect that an animal is being neglected or abused, don't just hope that someone else will intervene or that the guardian will do the right thing—make sure that the animal gets help by making the call yourself.

You don't need to be koi, Roy—just listen to PETA. Which is exactly what the staff at a  restaurant in Hoover, Alabama, did. They called to report that a private pond outside the restaurant was quickly drying up, endangering its 35 goldfish inhabitants. PETA's caseworker walked the staff through how to guide the fish into water-filled buckets and transfer them to a larger pond. The employees waded into the water, and within a few hours, all the fish were safe.  
 

 
It's fine if goldfish live in well-maintained, private ponds, but please never release companion fish into the wild. For more suggestions, see PETA's "Caring for Fish" page.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

thomaswanhoff/cc by 2.0

When a potential adopter recently went to the New Brockton animal shelter in Coffee County, Alabama, she was appalled at the inhumane and squalid conditions she found. Instead of the expected animal shelter scene—well-fed dogs and cats in clean kennels and cages with platforms and bedding, fresh water, and air—the adopter found sick puppies and malnourished dogs confined in outdoor-only, feces-ridden pens, some without access to water.

Further investigation found one dog tethered so tightly that the chain was digging into her skin, close to becoming embedded. Other dogs were suffering from untreated tumors and eye injuries, and one young dog was allegedly so badly injured in a fight that had occurred inside one of the shelter's kennels that he had to be later euthanized.

When Sherriff Dave Sutton responded to the scene, he called the conditions "disgusting and deplorable." Investigating officers also reportedly found carcasses near the shelter  that were thought to be the remains of other dogs.

A criminal investigation is underway to find out what went wrong that resulted in such negligent and cruel conditions at the county-run facility. The Coffee County Sheriff's Department has taken swift and decisive action, and the case is scheduled to be brought before a grand jury next week. In the meantime, all the animals have been removed from the facility and are now receiving veterinary care and aid.

Unfortunately, not all animal shelters provide the compassionate care that they should. To ensure that animals in your local shelter are being treated with proper and lawful care, consider volunteering your time to enrich the lives of these deserving animals. You can also refer to PETA's shelter checklist to confirm that conditions are up to par. 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Marina Campos Vinhal / CC by 2.0

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a disaster for both human and nonhuman residents, but there may prove to be a silver lining. With the government's recent announcement that fishing is banned in 19 percent of the Gulf, there's no time like the present for Johnson Sea Products to convert its crab and oyster-processing facility to a faux-seafood packaging facility.

Johnson Sea Products could protect itself from shutdowns because of oil spills, red tides, and overfishing, and the switch would help the company tap into the rapidly growing market for vegan food. To sweeten salt up the deal, we're even offering to cater a delicious faux-seafood meal for the employees so that they can see how great it is (and it'll give the out-of-work employees a free meal too).

No need to wait Johnson Sea Products' response. You can protect millions of turtles, dolphins, and other aquatic animals from being killed as "bycatch" by commercial fishers by going vegan.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Officials are scrambling to contain the beyond-massive oil spill that's headed for the Gulf Coast and its wetlands and wildlife areas. At times like this, I know it's popular to blame big business, and that's fair enough. But in a free-enterprise system, business only gets big (and sloppy and greedy) because of consumer demand. This morning, PETA delivered that message to Alabama residents by flying a banner over downtown Mobile reading "Meat on Your Grill = Oil Spill."

Raising animals for food causes environmental devastation on a massive scale, and oil spills can be blamed in large part on the oil-guzzling meat industry—which owes its existence to the meat-guzzling public. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it takes more than 10 times as much fossil fuel to produce a calorie of animal protein as it takes to produce the same amount of plant protein.

This disaster will have a devastating, long-lasting impact on the region and its residents, including more than 400 animal species, but crying over spilled oil and blaming big corporations won't make a difference. To ease tremendous animal suffering, safeguard human health, and help prevent oil spills, go vegan.

Written by Karin Bennett

PETA's Bea Arthur Dog Park (named for the eternally fabulous Golden Girl) has everything that dogs love: a big, grassy lawn for rolling and romping, a bin filled with toys to chew and chase, a water station, and an easy-access ramp into the Elizabeth River for dog-paddling to their hearts' content! But it's not just dogs who love PETA's park—apparently, Southern Living does too: The magazine included the park in its feature on the South's best dog parks!

Let's raise the woof in celebration by taking our canine companions to the nearest dog park tonight for some tail-wagging fun! And if you're ever in Norfolk, Virginia, check out the Bea Arthur Dog Park:

I guarantee that if you follow the rules, you and your mutt won't be disappointed.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

It's "tofu buck" and "seitan bird" season over at Adult Swim thanks to the new online game Tofu Hunter.

Thanks to the creative minds over at This Is Pop, who also created our Breasts Not Animal Tests game, now's your chance to bag a nine-point block of tofu. Keep an eye out for the trophy buck (he'll score you bonus points), and avoid hitting any does (unless you're looking to end your game early).

As the name suggests, the game is a tongue-in-cheek takeoff on revolting hunting-simulator video games such as Deer Hunter, and it might not be for the faint of heart: Its disclaimer notes, "This game contains graphic depictions of violence against tofu." But if the thought of blasting animated blocks of soy curd disturbs you, just remember: Tofu never screams.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Oh, Mickey, you're so kind, your love for animals blows our minds … Hey, Mickey!

Why am I cheering for Mickey Rourke? Look at the mock croc he rocked at this week's Iron Man 2 premiere:

© Star Max Inc.

"[It's] some kind of crocodile or something," says Rourke. "It's not real, though … I didn't make it. A guy named David August made it. Sylvester Stallone turned me on to the guy. He's really a rock and roll dude."

A dude who has always worn his heart on his sleeve (and lapel), Mickey wouldn't hurt a fly—or a crocodile, a dog, or any other animal. Just check out his moving essay in the paperback version of PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's book, One Can Make a Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World. He writes about how his six rescued dogs brought him back from the brink and "saved my life!"

Via Vegetarian Star

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

There may not be many seals in the Sunshine State, but any who do venture that far south have a friend in U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings. The senior Democratic whip is lobbing a virtual pie in the face of the Canadian government by introducing a resolution this week urging our neighbors to the north to ban the commercial seal slaughter.

Seal fur and other spoils of the slaughter are already banned in the U.S., and the Senate passed a similar resolution last year condemning Canada's annual baby seal massacre—but this is a first for the House.

Why not add your voice to Rep. Hastings' by urging Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to make like a snowbird and retire the seal slaughter? (And don't forget to spread the word to your friends and family too.)

Written by Alisa Mullins