If your dogs' tails are wagging a little more today, maybe they've heard the news that Ireland has cracked down on puppy mills! (Note to U.S. legislators: What's the holdup?)

The new Irish laws took effect on New Year's Day, outlawing the horrific conditions—including cramped enclosures, filth, malnutrition, exposure, disease, and a lack of socialization and veterinary care—common to those nasty intensive dog-breeding operations. All puppies must be microchipped so that the breeder can be identified, and authorities can inspect and shut down any facility that fails to meet the standards set by the new regulations.

So if you see people sporting a "Kiss Me—I'm Irish" button on St. Patrick's Day, feel free to take them up on it. But a much better way to pay tribute to the kind folks of the Emerald Isle is by speaking out against cruel and irresponsible breeding and the pet trade in your own corner of the world.

Right on the coattails of Ireland's fur-farm ban, here's a sizzling fur-free first: Supermodel and longtime vegetarian Suzanne McCabe has become Ireland's first celebrity to bare it all in an anti-fur ad. McCabe's sexy new ad for PETA U.K. and Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) is sure to turn heads:

A finalist for Miss Universe Ireland in 2008, McCabe has beauty and brains—she has degree in psychology from University College Dublin and a master's in business, and she recently joined ARAN's campaign against Canada's annual slaughter of baby seals for their fur. She's educating herself about how animals who are raised on fur farms are electrocuted, poisoned, and gassed for their skin, and she's making caring choices.

Who wouldn't want to look like this compassionate stunner? Follow McCabe's luscious lead and take our pledge to go fur-free.

Written by Logan Scherer

There's no need to wait until March 17—now's the time to dig out your funny green hat and celebrate.

That's because Ireland has just become the latest European country to ban fur farms! The ban will take effect in three years and will save thousands of animals from the horrors of fur factory farms.

pgc.state.pa.us / CC

On fur farms, animals who would roam hundreds of miles in the wild are crammed into wire cages only big enough for the animals to take a few steps in any direction. Hundreds of animals at a time may be kept inside sheds or subjected to stifling heat and numbing cold outdoors. While diseases and injuries are common, most animals on fur farms are denied even basic vet care.

Not surprisingly, the boredom and frustration of captivity drive many animals insane; they spin in circles endlessly, bash themselves against their cage bars, and sometimes gnaw their own tails off.

The ban means that the Emerald Isle will become even greener, too: There will be no more tons of waste produced by fur farms that can pollute waterways and release ammonia into the air.

Ireland's ban on fur farms is a true pot o' gold for animals. Meanwhile, U.S. legislators have yet to enact any federal protections for animals on fur farms—tell them it's time to take a cue from the Irish and put an end to fur-farm cruelty.

Written by Heather Drennan