Washington, D.C.'s Woof Walk dog event turned into a squawk stroll when a little dog named Mongo dressed as a chicken challenged dog lovers to ask themselves why they call one animal "family" and another animal "dinner."

While Mongo's assistants explained to Woof Walkers that chickens are as smart and social as dogs, one former chicken farmer backed them up, saying, "I know they are. I used to have thousands of them."

As that farmer can attest, some chickens are outgoing and fearless, while others are more reserved. Chickens can complete complex mental tasks, and they hand down knowledge from one generation to the next. Like all animals, chickens love their families, value their lives, and don't want to suffer and die.

If you wouldn't eat your dog, give chickens the same respect. Become a former chicken-eater—it's easy with tasty, you'd-never-know-it's-faux chicken, like Gardein Chick'n Filets, Boca Chik'N Patties, and MorningStar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips. 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Courtesy of LOC, LC-USZ62-126559

More than 10,000 people crowded onto the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sunday to attend the dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Besides being a leader of the civil rights movement, King also spoke out on other volatile issues of the day, such as the Vietnam War. When asked why he would concern himself with anything other than civil rights, he answered, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." In that spirit, PETA volunteers attended the dedication and urged the receptive crowd to further honor his legacy by ending injustice to the billions of animals killed for food every year.

King's widow, Coretta Scott King, was a vegan in her later years, as is his son, Dexter Scott King. To truly end all social injustice, please consider following in their compassionate footsteps, and order PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit today.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

When the earthquake hit Washington, D.C., yesterday, thousands of people evacuated the Smithsonian museums and streamed onto the National Mall where, ever so conveniently, they were met by PETA's Glass Walls exhibit. In the aftermath of all that shaking, the exhibit staffers gave away more than 500 vegetarian/vegan starter kits and "Glass Walls" DVDs narrated by Sir Paul McCartney!

While the East Coast quake gave PETA's outreach efforts a boost, you don't have to wait for the next act of nature to see the powerful Glass Walls display. Visit the exhibit across from the Museum of Natural History most days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through September 4.  

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

PETA was back at the National Mall on Saturday—this time for the "Rally to Restore Sanity," at which our "pig," "chicken," and "cow" made a huge splash. Among the many attendees who flocked to snap photos of our amiable animals, our cow's plea to "Use Soy Milk: It Dilutes the Tea" was the hooves-down favorite—and our pig gained access to an exclusive front-stage area, making sure that presenters saw the message "Don't Let the Terrorists Win: GO VEGAN."

Considering how inhumane  and environmentally destructive meat, milk, and egg production are and how unhealthy eating animal-derived products is, going vegan is the sane, compassionate, and obvious answer.

Written by Karin Bennett

On Saturday, PETA's DC Outreach Team, which is based at the Nanci Alexander Center for Animal Rights in Washington, D.C., held its 400th outreach event of 2010. No, that's not a typo! To mark the occasion, PETA volunteers and interns helped hand out almost 1,000 copies of PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit (VSK) and The Kids' Guide to Helping Animals magazine.

One volunteer estimated that 90 percent of passersby took a VSK. Many people said that they had been thinking about going vegetarian and were impressed by the numerous vegan dining options in the D.C. area. Since a whopping 45 percent of people who pick up a VSK kick the meat habit—and since every vegetarian saves more than 100 animals a year—the Outreach Team is making some tracks!

To be a lifesaver for animals wherever you go, please join PETA's Action Team so that you can order literature, get tips, and get started helping animals right away.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

Obesity rates are climbing across the country, with one exception: Washington, D.C., is the only area in the U.S. to see a decline in the adult obesity rate. Some people may cite Michelle Obama's healthy eating challenges for D.C.'s flab-less makeover, but it seems that PETA's work to encourage the city's residents and visitors to adopt a vegan diet is having an impact. Check out other ways PETA is getting involved in D.C.:

In addition to having more than 60 stands for our vegetarian/vegan starter kit around D.C., PETA also organizes more than 15 animal rights outreach events per week. There have been patriotic vegan food giveaways outside gross, flesh-filled barbecues; volunteers have served vegan food to the homeless; PETA's "cow," "chicken," and "pig" mascots have handed out free vegan recipes; we've dispensed more than 250,000 pieces of animal rights literature over the past year; we've put up banners; and that's not all. We are also promoting buying cruelty-free products, stopping NASA's cruel monkey tests, and helping make D.C. free of fur, leather, wool, and silk!

Written by Katie Arth, PETA's D.C. area organizer

Speaking up for animals is a full-time, 24/7 job. Just ask Pamela Anderson.

As we told you earlier this month, when Montréal officials blocked the launch of Pamela Anderson's sexy new vegetarian ad campaign for PETA, she instead unveiled the ad during her previously planned news conference for the Just for Laughs festival.

Pam and PETA are grateful to Restaurant Globe for hosting the impromptu pro-veg event, but while she was there, Pam noticed that the restaurant serves foie gras. So when she wrote a thank-you note to Restaurant Globe, she added a plea, explaining the extreme cruelty that's involved in foie gras production and asking the restaurant to remove the "delicacy of despair" from its menu.

This is why Pam is an honorary PETA director—she never misses an opportunity to help animals. So if you ever notice foie gras on a restaurant menu, just think, "WWPD?" ("What Would Pam Do?") Then talk to the manager or owner, explain how foie gras is made by force-feeding geese sometimes to the point of causing their internal organs to rupture, and politely ask that the restaurant stop serving foie gras. Geese—and Pam—will be thankful!

Written by Jeff Mackey

... in her latest movie, The Extra Man. Sure, she's had lots of meaty movie roles, but it's Katie's latest nonmeaty (it's not a word but it should be) casting as a dedicated vegan that has us jumping up and down on the couch. The quirky indie flick revolves around the relationship between Holmes' character, Mary, and Louis, the carnivore who's crushing on her (played by Fast Food Nation's Paul Dano). Mary works for an environmental magazine, and we all know that there's no such thing as a meat-eating environmentalist, so it all makes sense!

You can check out Katie in all her vegan glory when the movie opens on July 30. Don't miss it!

Via Ecorazzi

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

It's that time again! Every summer, our Lettuce Ladies station themselves at the U.S. Capitol to serve a free lunch in honor of National Veggie Dog Day. This year, our leafy lovelies were joined by model and smokin'-hot vegetarian Vida Guerra, who spiced up the event by wearing a red chili-pepper bikini as she handed out veggie chili dogs to congressional staffers. Although some legislators recently hand-delivered chili seeds to the arctic "doomsday" seed vault, our duly elected officials had probably never encountered peppers that sizzled quite like this before!

Click here for more photos.

Even Washingtonian wonks want to look and feel good, so we're glad to promote such a great way to improve fitness. Or as Vida put it, "In my business, looks can make you or break you, and nothing has helped me stay fit, trim, and energetic more than kicking the meat habit. The best way to safeguard your health, reduce your carbon footprint, save animals' lives, and look your very best is to go vegetarian."

Written Posted by Jeff Mackey

If you chose "B," you paid more attention in history class than I did.

Washington, D.C., is issuing a license plate commemorating the bicentennial of the War of 1812, in which parts of the city were burned—including the White House and the Capitol—and they're asking the public for design submissions.

Of course, PETA could not resist the challenge of finding an animal rights message in a 200-year-old war—but rather than focus on that unfortunate burning-of-D.C. thing, we thought it would be better to focus on the national anthem, which was written after a U.S. victory. How does this patriotic play on words strike you?

Written by Alisa Mullins