When vegan swimmer and PETA Foundation staffer Becky Fenson set her mind to tackling the exhilarating 10K international Little Red Lighthouse Swim on New York's Hudson River, she wasn't just doing it for herself, she was also raising awareness about animal rights and the benefits of a vegan diet.  

Determined to make a good showing for PETA, Becky was off like a shot at the start. But much to her fellow swimmers' shock, she wasn't swimming freestyle—the stroke typically used in open-water races—along with everyone else. Becky was swimming the most difficult stroke, the butterfly—something no one else had ever done in that race—and she was keeping pace with her competitors.  

Before the start of the race, Becky used her conversation-starting PETA Pack shirt to reveal her "secret weapon"—her vegan diet—to the other swimmers. She joked that, as meat-eaters, they had an advantage over her in contending with the Hudson's nose-wrinklingly polluted waters: They're used to ingesting fecal matter. 

Becky raised awareness about animal rights just by doing what she loves. To learn how you can use your hobbies to help animals, check out PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's advice in "Newkirk Nuggets." 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

When she first met her rescuer, the emaciated dog crawled on her belly, longing for affection but too terrified to stand up. Known only as the number tattooed on her ear, she was sick with hookworms, tapeworms, and a vaginal infection, and her teeth were rotted.
 

© Michele Gann

 
Libby, as she would soon be named, was one of nearly 250 dogs and cats rescued last fall from animal testing hellhole Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. after it shut down following a PETA investigation. Pharmaceutical companies paid the laboratory to infest dogs and cats with worms, fleas, and ticks and then force-feed them or smear their skin with toxic chemicals in tests for companion-animal products. Our investigator recorded workers as they kicked, threw, and dragged dogs; lifted puppies by their throats; and screamed obscenities at animals. A former supervisor and three former employees of the laboratory were indicted earlier this week on felony cruelty charges.

Despite all that she has been through, Libby has become a happy, playful girl in her loving new home. She wrestles and plays tug-of-war with her two adopted canine siblings, and she loves going out on walks and snuggling under the covers. 
 

© Michele Gann

 
Dogs like Libby are still suffering in laboratories. You can help by buying only cruelty-free products and letting companies that perform animal tests know why you will not be a customer. You can also donate to PETA’s Rescue and Investigations fund to help us continue to investigate cruelty and seek justice for the animal victims.
 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

In high school, P.E. was my worst nightmare. Flickerball, pickle ball, capture the flag: I hated them all and tried my hardest to come up with excuses to sit on the bleachers. The worst periods by far were on fitness-test days—the dreaded mile run. Those were the days when I got really creative with my excuses. One year I faked a bee sting; another year I "got hives" when I tried to run.

Now, despite my phobia of physical exertion and my love of the couch, there are a few things that will get me to do just about anything involving lacing up sneakers and strapping on a pedometer. One of those motivators: animals. Driven by the incentive to save lives, I'm gearing up for an uncharacteristically active winter, undoing all those years of glorious unhealthy inertia by joining the second annual PETA Pack. A group of runners who train together and raise money for PETA, the Pack is the perfect synthesis of fitness and kindness. With the help of professional coach Darren Middlesworth, we'll train together for the Oakland Marathon/Half Marathon/5K on March 28, 2010.

Last year's Oakland Pack.

But you don't have to live in the San Francisco Bay area to participate. Last year, 77 runners from across the U.S. and Canada trained remotely, and those who couldn't make it to Oakland for the big race found a race to run in their hometowns. Together they raised $57,000 for PETA's Investigations and Rescue Fund, and this year we expect to double that figure.

Training begins January 3—the perfect time to make a New Year's resolution a reality. Join today and check the PETA Pack blog for updates.

Written by Logan Scherer