Written by Jeff Mackey
If you've suffered through having your heart broken (and who hasn't?), you know it feels like you want to die. But if your heart actually were to (physically) break, you really could die. So as Valentine's Day nears, PETA is placing this digital billboard in two locations in Montgomery, Alabama—a state with one of the highest rates of heart disease in the nation.
Why do vegetarian hearts have an edge over carnivorous tickers? A recent study found that vegetarians are 32 percent less likely to suffer from heart disease. In fact, staying away from all the saturated fat and cholesterol in meat, dairy products, and eggs gives vegans a significant advantage in avoiding a range of life-threatening diseases, including cancer, strokes, and diabetes.
And when your healthy heart starts beating in rhythm with that special someone's, it's good to remember that vegans also get a boost in their love life because we're less susceptible to sexual dysfunction. So whether your heart needs Cupid or a cardiologist, there's one prescription: Go vegan!
Written by Michelle Kretzer
As half of one of the world's cutest on- and off-screen couples, we figured that Lea Michele would have some great ideas for how to spend Valentine's Day. We were right. Lea doesn't want expensive jewelry or a massive bouquet of flowers. Her idea of a lovely evening is laid-back and simple.
"My idea of the perfect romantic Valentine's Day is staying at home, cooking a yummy dinner, and watching a really scary movie," she told us.
Sounds like the real-life Rachel loves simply snuggling up under a blanket with her beloved. But Lea made it clear where we'll never catch her canoodling: in a horse-drawn carriage.
"The one thing I find the least romantic is taking a horse and carriage ride," she said. "I can't express enough how unhappy these horses are and how much pain and suffering they go through each day. Please do not ride [in horse-drawn carriages]. Take a beautiful walk together with your loved ones instead of bringing more pain to these beautiful animals."
Yeah, there are few things less romantic than watching horses breathe exhaust fumes and dodge traffic. Watching your loved one breathe in yummy aromas coming from the oven and dodge a playfully lobbed strawberry, however …
We all love hearing those three little words: "Have some chocolate." I jest, of course (kind of), but on Valentine's Day, love often takes the form of candy in a heart-shaped box. And PETA's box of confections won't just satisfy your loved one's sweet tooth. Since it's cruelty-free and the purchase price helps fund PETA's vital work, it will also satisfy a desire to be sweet to animals.
Because everyone—animals included—enjoys displays of affection.
Cats head-butt the ones they love as a sign that they feel comfortable and secure. And dog guardians know that, as Bill Maher put it, "The reason I love my dog so much is because when I come home, he's the only one in the world who treats me like I'm The Beatles."
© iStockPhoto.com/djgunner
Sheep love to cuddle and nuzzle, male rats sing love songs to females, fish rub against one another, and geese mate for life.
Get your melt-in-your-mouth vegan chocolates before they're gone. Your valentine will likely prefer them to an enthusiastic head-butt.
Alright, fellas, take it from a woman. Yes, we love flowers and chocolates and teddy bears, but what we really love is you. So dump impotence-causing, life-shortening meat and be around to celebrate many more happy Valentine's Days with us.
Written by PETA
A survey by Purina shows that 60 percent of doggie guardians are including their pooches in their Valentine's Day plans. The survey also found that 26 percent of guardians say "I love you" to their dogs at least once a day—the same percentage that share the sentiment with their significant other on a daily basis. Might as well face it, we're addicted to loving our dogs.
That's why Purina hosted a celebrity-studded "Be My Valentine" Doggie Dinner Party, complete with a red carpet stroll for the canines and live entertainment (Three Dog Night, perhaps?). I wonder if anyone asked for a doggie bag?
If you missed the doggie dinner party in New York, don't worry—you can still host a dog party of your own. (There are lots of fun ideas in PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's book Let's Have a Dog Party.) Or you could take a cue from a group of kindhearted second-graders in Virginia who delivered valentines to outdoor dogs in hopes of convincing their owners to show love to their dogs by taking them inside.
However you plan to pamper your pooch (or someone else's), here's wishing you a happy Valentine's Dog—er, Day!
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Just in time for Valentine's Day, couples got cozy together as part of a PETA "Fur—Out, Love—In" tour across the (snowy) Midwest and beyond. What better way to celebrate the loveliest day of the year than by urging people to share some love with animals, not wear them?
Love and snowflakes are in the air in Columbus, Ohio.
The love fest continued in Toronto, Ontario, where lingerie-clad PETA members made a great case for healthy vegan diets for lovebirds who want to be around for many more Valentine's Days to come.
Is it just me, or does everyone have a favorite cinnamon-roll memory? Mine is making them with my friends when we were little and didn't know how to make anything else. You can make a fond new cinnamon-roll memory this Valentine's Day by sending your love a batch of Cinnaholic's vegan cinnamon rolls.
The Berkeley, California–based bakery will ship rolls anywhere in the U.S., and they'll arrive fresh on February 14. But here's the best part: Not only will you show your valentine that you're sweet on him or her, you'll also demonstrate that you've got a sweet spot for animals. Cinnaholic is offering a personalized too-cute-for-words PETA Valentine's Day card for a $5 donation to PETA with any order, and best of all, the company will match the donation, which means PETA receives $10 for every card ordered. We're pretty sure that even Cupid couldn't come up with anything more romantic.
I love Valentine's Day: Love is in the air, flowers are in the vase, and chocolate is in the tummy. (I particularly love that last part.) It's not Valentine's Day without a treasure hunt through a box filled with sugary surprises. You can be a sweetheart to animals and your valentine with PETA's oh-so-yummy box of vegan sweets.
Just tell us how you plan to show your love for animals on February 14, and the loveliest idea will win this great chocolate assortment. It's a sampler-sized box, so your sweetie might even share a bonbon or two with you. If you don't win, you can still order some of the animal-friendly deliciousness.
The contest ends on February 9, 2011, and the winner will be chosen on February 11, 2011.
Please read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.
Good luck!
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!