When Kansas Representative Ed Trimmer sponsored House Bill 2513, proposing that the cairn terrier, best known because a dog of that breed played Toto in The Wizard of Oz, be named the state's official dog, he said that he expected to be "barked at." But the growl that PETA let out in a letter to Trimmer would have sent chills up the spine of even the Wicked Witch of the West. The House landed on the bill Monday, squashing the proposal, which PETA pointed out would only encourage well-meaning guardians to purchase dogs from breeders and pet stores supplied by puppy mills. The move opened up a kind of "Yellow Brick Road" for shelter dogs in the state.

Katie@! | CC by 2.0

To a shelter dog, there really is "no place like home." Every time a breeder brings another animal into the world, an animal sitting in an animal shelter loses his or her opportunity to find a loving home. An estimated 6 to 8 million animals are taken to U.S. animal shelters each year—of which, about 25 percent are purebred. No matter what kind of animal companion you're looking for, have a heart like the Tin Man—always adopt and never buy!

Tim Sackton/CC by 2.0

When killing time came, a Concordia, Kansas, high school student wasted not a minute in taking action to save a friend. No way, no how was Whitney Hillman going to bind her beloved chicken's feet with wire and chop his head off over a bucket, as an animal husbandry teacher at Concordia High School had instructed her class to do. Instead, Whitney placed Chicklett Chicken-Hillman in her bag and headed home.

Whitney's decision landed her a two-day, in-school suspension—but Chicklett was saved and sent to live on a farm. Does Whitney have any regrets? Heck no! She gladly accepted her punishment for leaving school grounds, paid the school for Chicklett, and has refused to apologize for her actions, noting that her previously stated objections were ignored by the instructor.  

PETA's youth division, peta2, is sending Whitney a big "thank you!" for recognizing that chickens are friends (in Chicklett's case, even Facebook friends), not food. History will look back kindly on this compassionate student.

Written by Karin Bennett

theus50 / CC

One hot, humid afternoon in July, I was apartment hunting and checking out an old factory in Brooklyn that was undergoing renovation for loft rentals. As I entered the bathroom in one unlit, unfinished space, two pigeons flapped frantically in the darkness—apparently they were as startled by my presence as I was by theirs. The birds had found a way into the building but were unable to get out because the windows had been boarded up.

After tearing a board off a window, I managed to catch and release each of the frightened birds. Both of them paused on the scaffolding outside to allow their eyes to adjust to the bright sunshine and to take in fresh air before flying off into the distance. If I hadn't helped them out of that stifling, sawdust-filled space, they surely would have succumbed to the searing heat, as well as hunger and thirst.

Around that same time, a similar situation was unfolding in a small, rural town in Kansas. A distraught resident called PETA to report that countless birds were roasting to death in a dilapidated building that the city had recently boarded up. With summer temperatures climbing, we immediately contacted city officials and urged them to take action for the birds, but the person we spoke with told us that the city had bigger problems to deal with. Um, wrong answer.

We raced to place an action alert on our Web site, and we fired off a letter to city commissioners. Realizing that PETA and our caring members weren't going to back down, city officials acted. Less than 24 hours after our initial contact, the fire and police departments were sent to rescue the surviving birds. They provided them with water and tore holes in the roof to create escape routes and ventilation.

By not turning a blind eye to animal suffering, and by making a call to PETA, one "little bird" prompted the rescue of countless others from certain death.

Written by Karin Bennett

In March, we let you know that three lions and two tigers who had been held captive in Kansas in what was essentially a junkyard had been released and put into the care of authorities. In case you've repressed memories of what these animals were subjected to for years, here's a reminder:

PETA first learned of the big cats' plight in May 2008. After working on the case for nearly a year, we were finally able to secure their release from this decrepit prison. Because it would never be possible to release the animals into the wild, we immediately launched a search to find them suitable homes. The Detroit Zoo (a progressive zoo that accepts wildlife in need) stepped forward and offered to house all three lions, while the CPT Sanctuary in North Carolina gave the tigers a place to roam. The contrast with their former dilapidated cages is striking.

Check out Nitro resting under a tree in his new secluded, wooded enclosure.

After Nitro was moved into the sanctuary, staffers discovered that he may be partially blind. In order to help him adapt, they will add various scents and substrates to his enclosure to help him locate the boundaries of his new home.

After 30 days in quarantine, the lions have moved into their new habitats.

The lions now have space to roam around and a series of vertical rocks and ledges where they can hang out and survey the landscape. Even better, the Detroit Zoo recently announced plans to double the size of its enclosure, allowing the lions more expansive terrain and enabling the zoo to provide the animals with the psychological enrichment that they deserve.

Written by Liz Graffeo

It's been almost a year in the making, but three lions and two tigers in Kansas will soon be on their way to new homes after PETA pressured local authorities to act. We were first alerted to the big cats' plight back in May 2008, when a passerby informed us that the animals were being kept in what essentially amounts to a junkyard. Behold, the "Prairie Cat Animal Refuge" in all its splendor:

In June, we sent a team of exotic-animal experts to assess the situation, and their reports were included in the local sheriff's case, which recommended that charges be filed against the cats' "owner" and that authorities take custody of the animals. Unfortunately, the case encountered reams of politically-charged red tape. Then, last month, a man "under the influence" who was working and staying at a so-called "hotel" on the property (it's called the "Free Breakfast Inn"—infer what you will from that), wandered up to the cages and was promptly bitten by a lion. That incident, while not so good for the man (he was hospitalized for surgery on his arm), finally galvanized the authorities into action.

In the meantime, PETA was lining up homes for the animals to be taken to once they were given a clean bill of health: The Detroit Zoo (a progressive zoo that closed its elephant exhibit for humane reasons and has provided a home for numerous rescued exotic animals, including one of the Suarez polar bears) has agreed to take all three lions, and the tigers will go to Carnivore Preservation Trust, a sanctuary in North Carolina. The zoo is covering all expenses for testing and transporting the lions, while PETA is covering the cost of testing and transporting the tigers. That cost is estimated at $3,000. We're hoping that the animals will be moved at the end of the month—we'll keep you posted.

So there you have it—the latest installment of "Your PETA Dollars at Work." Just doin' our job, folks.

Written by Alisa Mullins