In what is sure to become the most barked about book at animal shelters and dog parks across the country this year, America's canine sweetheart, Uggie, has inked a deal for his memoir, Uggie: My Story, which is set to be released in October.

Everyone knows how his story turns out: a meteoric rise to fame in The Artist and oodles of awards and accolades. But like every great success story, Uggie had his share of struggles. The energetic pup was relinquished by two families before he found his forever home. He encourages his fans always to adopt, never buy in his new ad for PETA:

The next great actor, novelist, philanthropist, or best friend could be waiting at your local animal shelter. If you're thinking about opening your home to a four-legged companion, give a dog like Uggie his big break. 

Check this out: U.S. Representative Robert E. Andrews of New Jersey has introduced a bill in Congress (H.R. 220) that would designate the first Saturday in October as “National Animal Rescue Day” to encourage adoption, spaying and neutering, and creating a “humane environment” for companion animals.

This is such a wonderful idea and how appropriate that a member of Congress from the Garden State would be instrumental in trying to get us a bit closer to a Garden of Eden for animals in need!

How to Help Make This Bill a Law

Please do your part to make National Animal Rescue Day a reality—encourage your federal representative to support H.R. 220 today, and urge your friends and family to push their members of Congress to do the same!

Scene-stealing canine star Uggie won people's hearts in the award-winning film The Artist. Now the world's favorite pup is the star of a PETA campaign encouraging everyone always to adopt—never buy. Before Uggie was a Palm Dog Award winner at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, he was just another statistic—an unwanted dog, who was passed off by two families before he found a wonderful permanent home. Every animal deserves the same happy ending that Uggie experienced.

When you are ready to welcome an animal into the family, please don't support pet stores or breeders, who are largely responsible for the 3 to 4 million animals who must be euthanized in animal shelters every year because there are not enough homes for them. Remember always to adopt—never buy.

Enjoy!

Please remember: Always adopt—never buy. 

It's a boy for Tommy Lee and his girlfriend, singer and dancer Sofia Toufa. On National Puppy Day, the pair rescued their new pup, Bowie, from a shelter.

Mia anelli

Of course, Tommy rescued his new best friend rather than buying him. What else would we expect from a guy who chooses ink over mink, blasts SeaWorld, and famously gave a homeless man $100 with the caveat, "Just don't buy KFC"? 

Congratulations to the proud puppy "parents"!

Realtor to the stars and Million Dollar Listing celebrity Chad Rogers has a million-dollar idea: Encourage people to adopt their animal companions from animal shelters and donate to PETA's doghouse program. In an exclusive interview, Chad—joined, of course, by his canine family member, Starla—talks with PETA about doing both:

Chad spends his days brokering some of the biggest real-estate deals in Hollywood, but at the end of the day, his dog, Starla, takes center stage in his life. He encourages people to adopt animals rather than buying them because every dog deserves a loving home. "There's thousands and thousands of pets all over the world that need homes," Chad says, "so why not go to a shelter and get a dog? I mean, that's the best thing that you could possibly do for another dog's life."

Starla is a star in her own right, capturing the title of America's Cutest Canine in a national contest. Chad and Starla took the prize money and invested in real estate—for dogs. They donated the entire prize to PETA's "Angels for Animals" program, which provides cold and lonely "backyard dogs" with sturdy, custom-built doghouses.

Will you be an "angel" for a cold "outdoor dog" this winter? If so, tell Chad and Starla about it on Twitter.

© Audrey Coleman

Pusuke, who held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living dog, died in Japan on December 5, 2011. He was 26 years and 9 months old. He was also a mutt. Coincidence? Not likely.

Mixed-breed dogs like Pusuke tend to be healthier than their "purebred" cousins, because purebreds are often inbred and bred for certain unnatural and exaggerated physical traits. These harmful practices cause many purebred animals to suffer painful and life-threatening genetic defects, including crippling hip dysplasia, blindness, deafness, heart defects, skin problems, epilepsy, and others.

Ready to give an animal a long, happy life? Increase the odds that your animal companion will be part of your family for many, many years and save a life by adopting a lovable, healthy mutt from your local animal shelter.

The holidays. A couple of months filled with holiday cheer, carols, and snowflakes—followed by a flood of animals being dumped at shelters.

That's because after the hustle and bustle—after discovering the cute little puppy under the tree wearing a big red bow—come the puddles on the carpet, the walks in the cold, the chewed-up shoes, and the vet bills. So when the kids who begged, "I'll take care of him every day, I promise," are too busy playing their new video games to care for their new puppy, Rover is tossed aside like last year's Call of Duty.

Puppies need a stay-at-home person to housetrain them properly (they can't "hold it" all day) and multiple walks every day, even when it's cold and rainy. Both puppies and kittens need lots of patience and understanding, room to grow physically and mentally, and a fat wallet for sterilization and all the shots, wormings, grooming, food, medicine, and toys.

People who give animals as gifts are essentially sticking about 16 years' and thousands of dollars' worth of responsibility under the tree. Sounds festive, right?

If a family member or friend is genuinely ready and willing to adopt an animal, wait until the holiday hoopla is over and offer to accompany them to your local animal shelter where you can help pick out a wonderful companion for life, not just for Christmas.

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez may have made beliebers out of nearly 200 homeless dogs and cats. When the stars visited the animals at a Winnipeg animal shelter, Gomez found somebody to love (besides the Biebs), a husky mix she named Baylor. Of course, since Justin advocates for adoption and Selena has five other rescued dogs, the couple chose a baby, baby, baby from a shelter instead of a pet store.

Will Justin be adopting a new friend for himself and his dog, Sam? Never say never (except to buying from a breeder).

Written by Michelle Sherrow

After Hurricane Irene blew out of Hampton Roads, where PETA is headquartered, we described some of the animals PETA rescued during the storm. One frightened dog, Nikita, was found alone in a pen, where he had only one sheet of plywood as "shelter."

Since then, Nikita has thrived with his foster family, who tell us that he loves to run and play, gets along well with other dogs and with children, adores having his tummy and ears rubbed, and if allowed, "will lick you to death until you yell 'Uncle!'" They quickly correct themselves, saying, "No wait, even then he'll continue licking you."

Nikita deserves an extra-special lifetime home, so PETA is looking for just the right family to adopt him. Nikita is about 1 year old, and he has been neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped, courtesy of PETA's mobile clinic. If you live within driving distance of Norfolk, Virginia, and are prepared to give Nikita the love, care, and attention he needs,  please contact us at adopt@peta.org.

Written by Jeff Mackey