Most of us here at PETA adore sweets, but we've got zero tolerance for sugarcoating—the truth, that is. That's why we're planning to run this public service announcement in Mackinac Island, Michigan, the hometown of Sadie, who was crowned "top dog" (after a slight interruption) at Westminster on Tuesday night.

We want residents of Mackinac Island and beyond to wise up: A "win" at Westminster is no cause for celebration. In fact, a mass funeral might be more fitting.

Bottom line: Every person who purchases a puppy or kitten from a pimp breeder or pet shop (or obtains one from the "free" ads) is signing a death certificate for an animal in an open-admission shelter. I think PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said it best: "[P]eople don't see themselves as signing some animal's death warrant when they sign their credit card receipt, but that's what they are doing." That's not a half-baked notion cooked up by animal protectionists—it's simple math. There aren't enough homes. And dog shows such as Westminster feed the myth that a French bulldog puppy is somehow "superior" to a lop-eared, one-of-a-kind mutt.

Au contraire!

Remember Uno, the beagle who bayed his way into first place at Westminster two years ago? Just months after Uno's win, I was searching for a new friend in animal shelters in New York City, and I was struck by the number of barely housetrained beagle babies who were pawing at the cage walls. Apparently, a lot of fickle viewers who watched Uno at Westminster scrambled to buy their own beagles—and then realized that they didn't want to deal with the ear-piercing baying, crack-of-dawn walks, or chewed-up Manolo's. (BTW—I, too, am a sucker for big, brown eyes. It's why a lumpy old furry gal named Lucy, who spent her first seven or so years sleeping on the streets, now snores beside me every night.)

True love can come in all shapes and sizes—with floppy ears, crooked teeth, and mismatched eyes. And true love can be easy to find at the local animal shelter. PETA is determined to save lives by sending this message to all would-be animal parents: Always adopt from animal shelters, never buy from pet stores or breeders, and always spay or neuter your four-legged friends. Will you help?

Written by Karin Bennett

Want to incite a media circus that almost—but not quite—descends into fisticuffs? Just put on a white sheet outside the AKC's biggest dog show and let the dog biscuits fall where they may. Check out these photos from the protest at Madison Square Garden:

No, there wasn't a biker convention going on. Apparently, some New Yorkers just love their black jackets made from cows. The focus of the media cameras (just outside the frame) is PETA spokesperson Michael McGraw, who was interviewed by tons of reporters.

Some folks looked like they expected Howie Mandel to jump out at them any moment. Others started talking about the whole thing on their cell phones.

The dour-looking woman to the right is a dog-breeder type attempting to stage a counter-protest—proving our point about the wealth of "Glamour Don'ts" to be found at Westminster.

Our star leaflet distributor was young Rose, who has no idea what the KKK is, but loves dogs of all sizes, shapes, and colors.

Written by Alisa Mullins

If you watch the USA network, then you are probably aware that the Westminster dog show is next week. They're promoting it out the wazoo—I know this from being forced to sit through commercial breaks during House because the Best Cat in the Universe is snoozing on my lap.

Anyhoo, PETA wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to get dog breeders' dander up, so we'll be outside Madison Square Garden during the show.

Last year, we held giant posters bearing the image of a sad-eyed shelter dog and reading "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances." This year, we're up to something different and thought-provoking: We'll show up dressed as Klansmen to point out some of the eerie similarities between the AKC and the KKK. Pure bloodlines, master race/master pedigree, woeful lack of fashion sense. Creepy, isn't it?

To give you a sneak peek, here's the leaflet that our "KKK recruiter" will hand out:

And here's the banner that our hooded henchmen will brandish:

Purebreds only? Wrong for people. Wrong for dogs.

Written by Alisa Mullins

When you have an epic battle as big as PETA's campaign to convince home improvement behemoth Lowe's to stop selling glue traps, you have to decide if you are "a man or a mouse," as the saying goes. Personally, I'm a mouse. I'm PETA's original "sexy mouse," in fact. Yes, that's me, writhing in a giant "glue trap" outside Lowe's annual meeting last year.

As a proud sexy-mouse veteran, I'm pleased to unveil the newest addition to our Lowe's campaign:

But don't worry! Our classic "sexy mice" are still hitting the streets to let shoppers know that animals stuck in glue traps can suffer for days before succumbing to starvation, dehydration, or suffocation.

Leave a comment and let us know which demonstration you like the most: the traditional sexy mouse, "Mickey" and "Minnie Mouse," or our giant rat and anti-Lowe's minivan. I think you can guess which one is my favorite.

Written by Liz Graffeo

In a huge victory for animals, a grand jury has issued 19 indictments for cruelty to animals against three former employees of Aviagen Turkeys, Inc. And it gets better—11 of the indictments are on felony charges. This marks the first time in U.S. history that factory-farm employees have faced felony cruelty-to-animals charges for abusing birds.

These indictments are the result of PETA's undercover investigation at Aviagen's factory farms in West Virginia, which uncovered workers stomping, kicking, throwing, and killing turkeys in unimaginably cruel ways. Our investigator's video footage was seen by the West Virginia State Police, whose investigator then conducted his own prompt and thorough investigation, leading to these indictments in Greenbrier County. Next stop: Monroe County, where we anticipate additional charges to be filed for similar acts committed there.

It's great to see the authorities take this case seriously. But Aviagen itself? Not so much.

As you may recall, a couple of weeks back, a whistleblower told us that some of the turkey torturers were still employed by Aviagen, despite the company's promise to fire all the workers caught violating its purported animal-welfare policies. PETA's letter to the company president about this has gone unanswered. And Aviagen has refused to give any specific details about the actions it claims to have taken. So, as far as we can tell, Aviagen hasn't yet implemented even one of the seven improvements we suggested to them. If you're as riled about this as we are, please take a minute to ask Aviagen executives to stop sitting on their thumbs and take some specific steps toward preventing the continued torture of birds in the company's sheds.

Bet these indictments have got them sitting up and paying attention, though. And not just at Aviagen (I'm looking at you, Butterball, Pilgrim's Pride, and Tyson). And I suspect the charges might make those drumsticks a little harder for some folks to swallow too.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Last week, PETA hosted a "human barbeque" on a Phoenix, Arizona, street to remind passersby that all animals have the same basic body parts. Check out these pictures of the demonstration:

Our bloody butcher set up his mock grill right in the middle of town. Although you may never have to see what happens on a factory farm, please remind everyone you know that those clean-looking meat packages in the grocery store were once part of living, breathing beings who felt pain and fear when they were slaughtered.

The barbequed babe was spray-painted red and orange to resemble the charred flesh of an animal.

Across the street, activists held a sign that read "Meat Is Murder." We can all agree that cannibalism is repulsive, so what's the big difference? Flesh is flesh.

It's easy to have a great barbeque without meat (animal or human)—check your local grocery store's freezer aisle for delicious faux-meat burgers!

Written by Liz Graffeo

Back in November, we were taken aback to learn that Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard planned a citywide initiative to improve residents' sex lives by distributing free Viagra to elderly men suffering from impotence. We sent a letter to let him know that most men don't need to pop pills to get some afternoon delight: They simply need to adopt a purely vegetarian diet.

Here's the response from the Mexican government:

So, Viagra might be a temporary fix—if you don't count the side effects, which can range from very uncomfy and embarrassing nether regions to a full-blown heart attack—but adopting a vegetarian lifestyle is the best long-term medicine for long, lonely nights. A vegan diet can immediately start reducing your risk of the main causes of impotence: clogged arteries to your organs. Not to mention that a healthy, vegan diet also makes for a leaner physique and increases overall energy, which can make you more attractive, gentlemen!

Yes, I think it's true: Vegetarians so have better sex!

Written by Liz Graffeo

abcnews / CC

You guys remember how the BBC dropped coverage of Crufts, the UK's big dog show, right? After that, we asked USA Network to do the decent thing and follow suit by refusing to air the American Kennel Club's Westminster Dog Show.

Well, it seems that USA is determined to wring a few bucks out of the suffering and illness of dogs and will be airing Westminster as planned.

OK, USA, if that's the way you want to play it, we're not above doing an end run and going directly to your oxygen supply. That's right—we've written to USA's Westminster sponsors (LifeLock, TransUnion, Intuit, the CityKids Foundation, the Flex Belt, and Pedigree) and asked them to withdraw their support. Read our letter here.

We obviously can't count on either USA or the AKC to put honor before profit, but we hope that there are still a few businesses out there that will step up and help make a difference for dogs.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Intentionally breeding dogs for their looks while millions are dying for lack of good homes in extremely crowded shelters? The American Kennel Club just doesn't get it. And neither does the USA network, which broadcasts the AKC's Westminster Dog Show every February.

That's why we sent USA a letter asking for a little face time to discuss really important things like, oh, not airing the controversial pure-breed pup parade. Coming on the heels of the BBC's announcement that it will no longer broadcast coverage of the Kennel Club's Crufts dog show (the Brit equivalent of the Westminster monstrosity), the letter points out that breeding dogs in order to create a look that negatively affects their health, temperament, and quality of life is totally not cool. After all, one in four purebred dogs is plagued with a serious genetic problem.

So USA, how about being a good network? Sit. Listen. Roll over. And fetch a few reruns of Law and Order to replace that dastardly dog show …

Written by Amy Elizabeth

For a completely surreal glance into the world these people live in, check out this undercover footage from behind the scenes at this year’s Westminster Dog Show. It speaks volumes.