Written by Michelle Kretzer
Pretty, pleasant Pia Toscano bears a striking resemblance to another PETA pal—Lea Michele—and the similarities don't stop at their lovely faces, with voices to match and rhyming monikers. Like Lea, Pia jumped at the chance to use her platform to help stop cruelty to animals.
In her debut single, "This Time," Pia bids a powerful adieu to a bad boyfriend. And she thinks it's time that everyone broke up with two businesses that are bad for animals: the fur industry and circuses.
In an exclusive interview with PETA, Pia expounded, "It was very difficult for me to watch the videos on how fur coats are made and how these animals are brutally beaten and skinned alive. There's no excuse for that." And when talk turned to the circus, she was quick to express her disgust. "I'm a performer, and I make a conscious decision every time I get up on that stage to do what I love, but these animals, they don't have a choice, they don't have a voice, and they are not choosing this lifestyle."
Since animals don't get to choose not to be forced to perform or killed for their fur, as Pia notes, it's up to us to add our voices to the ever-growing chorus of people speaking up for them.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Thanksgiving is hell for turkeys. To make sure as many folks get this message as possible, here are three of our best holiday ads. Pick your favorite and share with friends to let them know why they should give turkeys a reason to be thankful, too:
"Would You Eat Your Dog?"
SHARE: Twitter | Facebook
"Turkey Terror"
"Grace"
Give everyone—including animals—something to be thankful for this holiday season by celebrating with a vegan feast.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show may have gotten wind of our plan to take over its Facebook page because the puppy pimps quickly shut the page down. Were they afraid that people would learn exactly how the annual spectacle's shameless promotion of purebred dogs encourages people to support breeding and deters many from adopting wonderful mixed-breed dogs from animal shelters? Yep, I'd say that was it.
Never ones to be easily silenced, we've created an album of beautiful mixed-breed dogs on our own Facebook page that everyone can share to spread the message that rescued dogs rock.
Given America's reputation as a melting pot, there's something very off-kilter, elitist, and, well, un-American about Westminster's relentless pushing of purebreds. Millions of American mutts die in our nation's crowded pounds and animal shelters every year because of a lack of good homes—even though they're every bit as gorgeous, sweet, and loyal as (and generally healthier than) their purebred cousins.
If you're the proud guardian of a Great American Mutt, we hope you'll tell the world about it by sharing photos of your best bud and these other American originals on Facebook. And if you're considering adding a dog to your household, please think "mutt." Like the guardians of these stars, you'll be glad you did!
Do you sometimes get down in the dumps about cruelty to animals? Me too. But to change that, we need to be gung-ho go-getters, not teary-eyed tissue-wetters. And it has never been easier to initiate changes for animals without even leaving home.
Getting active online takes just a few clicks of the mouse, and since we already use social media almost every day, getting animal rights messages out to hundreds—even thousands—of people is even easier.
A one-click way to spread animal-friendly content on any social-networking site is simply to "like" it, give it a "thumbs up," click "rate 5 stars," etc.
People sometimes hesitate to "like" content that describes or illustrates cruelty, such as an undercover investigative video showing circus trainers who beat elephants. But by "liking" it, we aren't condoning the abuse—we're suggesting that others learn about it so that they will, hopefully, be prompted to act. It seems natural to "dislike" such horrific images, but that can actually discourage people from viewing important content.
Another easy way to help spread the anti-cruelty message is just to post it on your social-networking pages. Post PETA content on the following sites:
And last, but not least: anywhere—we love it when people share our posts far and wide!
Please sign up for our e-news—it's a great way to get new information to share with others.
Are you gung-ho yet? Go get 'em!
What do a tweet, a toy, and a Toyota have in common? They can all be used to help animals! Hey, times are tough, and while lots of people may be in the giving spirit at this time of year, their wallets may not be feeling quite so generous. With that in mind, we've thought of some great ways that anyone can give to animals simply by donating time—or an old car!
Happy holidays from PETA!
In a rare case of legal protection for a rat, a Denver woman has pleaded guilty to a cruelty-to-animals charge for torturing and killing a rat. Tashaya Abbott and Alison Milke bought a rat from a pet store to feed live to a snake, but the snake did not eat the animal for four days—during which time the terrified rodent was confined to a tank with the snake. So the young women reportedly electroshocked, shot with blow darts multiple times, and finally crushed the rat to death. Evidently thinking that this animal's horrific suffering and death were something to laugh about, Milke posted a photo of the rat to her Facebook page and boasted about the crime that they had committed.
A PETA supporter alerted us, and we immediately notified law enforcement and pushed for the women to be prosecuted.
The judge ordered Abbott to pay a $125 fine and complete 50 hours of community service and banned her from owning any animals for a year. There is still an outstanding warrant for Milke, who is believed to be in Florida now, and PETA is pushing hard for her prosecution as well.
If you spot any evidence of potential animal abuse on social-networking sites, contact PETA right away, and we will work to have the offenders prosecuted.
This poor mother dog was so emaciated that she barely had the strength to nurse her six puppies. She was confined to a bare wooden box located behind a pizza parlor and was weighted down with a heavy chain.
After a member of Hoovers Hause All Dog Rescue spotted one of the pups wandering near the busy street beside the restaurant, she soon discovered the mother dog and called the sheriff's department. But catch this: Law enforcement gave the owner two to three weeks to put weight on the mother dog. Hoovers Hause All Dog Rescue had a better idea—the group posted pictures of the dogs on Facebook and asked people to get the sheriff's department to act now.
When a PETA supporter alerted us to the situation, we asked the poster to try to persuade the owner to give the dogs over to her. Bingo! All the dogs were whisked off to a veterinarian (likely the first time the mother dog had ever received medical care). The rescue group paid for the mother dog's heartworm treatment and agreed to care for her and her puppies while screening potential adopters.
The owner had told police that the mother dog was so thin because she had been poisoned, but with simple helpings of good food, this lucky rescued girl has already gained 8 pounds. PETA is now urging officials to pursue cruelty charges.
If you see anything on social-networking sites that suggests an animal could be in danger, please contact authorities—and, if they are unresponsive, call PETA.
Written by PETA
Update: The people have spoken, and the new word cloud is here!
If you could prevent animal suffering with just one word, would you? PETA is creating our own word cloud that will encourage Facebook and Twitter users to join the cause and help us end cruelty to animals, and we need your help deciding what the cloud should say.
Simply tweet a word that you think describes PETA and would motivate others to get involved, and use the hashtag #PETACloud. We'll choose the most inspiring words to create our cloud, which you can share with your friends. Not yet a PETA pal? "Like" or follow us for up-to-the-minute animal news, contests, and action alerts.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
What's the best way to share your cat's reaction to a bird at the window or your dog's I-see-a-treat-coming happy dance? A recent survey found that more than half of U.K. companion-animal guardians share photos and videos of their four-legged family members online and that one out of every 10 companion animals has a Facebook page, Twitter account, or YouTube channel.
Considering how much U.K. animal guardians like online sharing, we wonder how many pooches and pussycats on this side of the pond are posting from the back of the sofa, tweeting from the dog park, and updating their statuses to "in a committed relationship with my Frisbee."
Cartoon chimpanzees are getting animated over on CareerBuilder's Facebook page, and we think you should join them! CareerBuilder aired a Super Bowl ad in which it once again exploited chimpanzees in order to make the point that … wait, what point was it making? That it can find jobs for chimpanzees?
Anyway, the message we heard is that CareerBuilder is determined to keep using ape "actors" in its ads, despite the fact that the chimpanzees are stolen from their mothers as babies, threatened and beaten to make them perform, and shoved into small, filthy cages when they aren't out earning money for their trainers.
We want to show CareerBuilder how these apes feel about its cruel ads. You can join in the fun by posting comments on the company's Facebook page about how awful it is to be abused by CareerBuilder. We can't wait to see what you come up with.Written by Michelle Sherrow
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
Follow PETA on Twitter!