Tomorrow is National Pet Memorial Day, a time to honor the animals with whom we have shared our lives and love. We gave them a home, and in return, they gave us their all.

 
© Andrew Helwich | iStockPhoto.com

Looking for a way to memorialize your best friends past and present? You could do something kind for animals who haven't had the good fortune to be cherished by someone like you. For example, you could offer to take a lonely chained dog for a walk and offer him or her treats and toys. Or you could volunteer at your local humane society or spay-and-neuter clinic. In these economic tough times, animal charities are struggling and would welcome a donation in your animal's name.

You could also post an online remembrance of your beloved animal companions on PETA's True Friends Memorial page. Tribute pages can include stories, pictures, and videos and are easily linked to blogs, websites, and social-network profiles. People can view the tribute to your animal and make a donation in their honor that will have a lasting impact and improve the lives of not-so-lucky animals.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

PETA activists demonstrated in front of all three SeaWorld locations this weekend—in Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio—to remind visitors and passersby about the rising death toll at these abusement parks.

In another development, former SeaWorld trainers are calling on federal authorities to reject the corporation's latest public-relations ploy: to provide "spare air" (small oxygen canisters inside wetsuits) so that trainers like Dawn Brancheau—who was killed by an orca—can get back into the tanks. When Dawn was attacked, she suffered massive injuries. There's not a chance in the world that an oxygen canister can stand up to the crushing force of a stressed, enraged 5-ton animal.

Please remember, you can help animals by speaking out against SeaWorld. Post on Facebook and spread the word to your family and friends. Join countless other people who are saying "enough" to SeaWorld's exploitation of orcas, bottlenose dolphins, and other animals. And be sure to visit our True Friends Memorial page set up in memory of Sumar, the orca that died at SeaWorld San Diego last week.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

Ladies, allow me to introduce you to Jonathan Fagerlund:

dreamlinemusic / CC

But first, a disclaimer: Even when my husband is goofing off for the camera, I think he's a hunk.

Not only is Tim good-looking, he also refuses to eat animals, confronts every fur hag he encounters, and participates in horse-drawn carriage protests.

So I assure you, the only reason that my heart's all aflutter right now is the triple red-eye I had earlier—not because I have a thing for Swedish singer Jonathan Fagerlund.

Sure, he's smokin' hot. And talented—at 18 years old, he's already appeared in a television series and released two albums. But above all else, Jonathan is compassionate. He just set up a True Friends Memorial and donated $500 to help animals who are victims of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment. He even links to the memorial page on his Web site and encourages his fans to take action.

Now, before you start combing through pages of Jonathan's photos on Google Images,why don't you follow his lead and honor someone's memory on PETA's True Friends site?

Written by Karin Bennett

Tripp's last day

Last week, we told you about poor Tripp—the elderly golden retriever who had lived through 16 long years of neglect. Because of the outpouring of condolences for him, we've set up a memorial page in his honor through our newly revamped True Friends Web site.

You can find Tripp's memorial page here. I hope you'll drop by and share some words of support for Misty Collins and the other PETA field workers whose hearts break every day over neglected and abused animals like Tripp (and Rikus, Music, Zoo, Hugo, and Blackie, just to name a few).

If you've recently lost someone close to you—a friend, family member, or animal companion—please consider creating a True Friends memorial page of your own to help share your memories with others. You can also create a page for a celebrity (as a supporter did for longtime PETA friend Bea Arthur) or an animal whose story you've heard about in the news—like Tweet, the giraffe who died on the set of The Zookeeper.

After you've visited PETA's new True Friends Memorials site, post a comment below to let us know what you think.

Written by Alisa Mullins