Every year, PETA's Community Animal Project (CAP) and Cruelty Investigations Department (CID) transform the lives of thousands of animals, often turning bleak existences into happy endings.

Take this too-cute-for-words fellow, Max. His owner called PETA for a free doghouse. When our CAP team arrived to assess Max's needs, they discovered that his only shelter was a television stand. And he had no life at all! Chaining is prohibited in Max's town, so the owner gave him up, but the loneliness, frustration, and harsh elements that plague millions of chained dogs hadn't yet killed this puppy's appreciation for human beings—just look at his face!

Fishing hurts, and in this next case, it mutilated a cat. Moby was discovered by a teenager who brought him home and then realized that a fishing hook was impaled in the cat's lip. The girl called PETA for help. We rushed Moby to a veterinarian, who determined that the hook had been there for days and that Moby's injury was infected. Moby is now purring through his recovery at PETA headquarters and has an excellent home lined up for him after his stray-holding period is up.

Now, we'd like to thank you, in advance, for taking action on behalf of animals: Scout your neighborhood to find that injured or homeless cat who might be hiding under a car; enlighten the owners of that defeated dog who crouches, 24/7, in the corner of a backyard; or support our work to help suffering animals like those described above. You could very well be some animal's only hope, and your determination to help them can make happily-ever-after rescues like these happen in your own neighborhood.

Written by Karin Bennett

On an average day, PETA's Cruelty Investigations Department (CID) receives dozens of phone calls from caring individuals reporting cases of animal abuse. When an animal is in trouble, our caseworkers fly into action. Able to leap great obstacles for a single hound, they help fight injustice, collar bad guys, and rescue animals in distress. Seriously. In an average week, CID caseworkers process more than 300 reports of cruelty. Here are just a few of the many animals they recently helped:

• Warning, not a nice picture: We got veterinary care for this Texas horse, whose eye injury had been rotting for weeks. Charges are in the works.
• Chevy was shot by a Los Angeles cop. Since his guardian was broke, we got Chevy to a vet who patched him up.
• We persuaded officials in Ohio to free a baby skunk from a trap in which he was being starved to death (and to seize the trap).
• We worked with California officials to secure veterinary attention for this poor bull, who was suffering from a badly injured leg.
• A deputy sheriff turned to PETA to help two starving pits bulls. Within hours, both were rescued and taken to a vet. Charges are being filed.
• We convinced San Francisco authorities to go to a hellhole of an Asian market, where they seized 10 injured frogs and issued written warnings.
• When we learned that some officials of a state department of natural resources were advising callers in how to drown raccoons (e.g., telling them to place the animal in a cage and submerge the cage in water for 15 minutes), we got involved—and now the agency will suggest only humane animal control methods.
• A Las Vegas resident found a baby bird and was going to keep the animal as a pet, but with the help of her apartment's janitor, we made sure that the baby and mom were happily reunited.
• When a PETA member found this pigeon with a broken wing and leg, we helped her get the bird to a vet's office, where the animal was quickly euthanized.
• An Anaheim, California, landlord boarded up a nest of baby swallows in an attic and was going to bug-bomb the nest (the mother bird was frantic). We worked until we found officials to make sure that this didn't happen, and the family was reunited.
• A Virginia car rental company was using glue traps. We explained the cruelty of glue traps, and the company pulled them.
• This bird had died and others were struggling in faulty deterrent netting at a Georgia shopping center. We made sure that all survivors were freed and the net was removed.
• A 12-year-old Florida dog named Tiara was suffering from heart failure, and her owner was indigent. We got this poor dog rushed to a vet, and she was mercifully euthanized.
• Some kind callers paged us when they found an injured piglet on a South Dakota roadside. The piglet will now be looked after at a sanctuary for the rest of her days.

These cases are a reminder of why it's vital to report cruelty to animals immediately. PETA's CID needs your help to prevent other animals from meeting a similar fate. Keep your eyes open for animals in need, be a nosy neighbor, trust your instincts, and always alert police or animal control officials right away if you know or suspect that animals are being abused or neglected.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth