Written by PETA
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.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
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).
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
A poll in Sports Illustrated named Chase Utley one of the "meanest" players in baseball, but we don't buy it. That's because Chase doesn't buy animals—he always adopts, and he asks his fans to do the same.
The MLB all-star might be a fierce competitor, but off the field, he's a fierce defender of animals—in addition to posing for a PETA ad, he has also volunteered with the Pennsylvania SPCA, and even started his own charity, Utley All-Star Animals.
We have a feeling that Chase's tough-guy rep would quickly turn to mush if his fellow ballplayers were to stop by his next Utley All-Star Animals fundraiser. Regardless, we're betting it's his rescued buddy, Jack's opinion that matters most.
No dog guardian wants his or her best canine friend to come down with a debilitating, terminal illness. But when they buy a purebred dog, that’s what many dog guardians can expect.
Researchers at the University of Georgia looked at the causes of death for tens of thousands of dogs over two decades and discovered that certain diseases are more likely to afflict certain breeds. For example, they found that Bernese mountain dogs, bouviers des Flandres, boxers, golden retrievers, and Scottish terriers have extremely high mortality rates caused by cancer, while Chihuahuas, Doberman pinschers, fox terriers, Maltese, and Newfoundlands are plagued with deadly cardiovascular disease. This is in addition to the defects that were already known to afflict specific breeds, such as hip dysplasia in German shepherds, spinal disc disease in dachshunds, and epilepsy in beagles.
So, when people pay breeders and pet stores to churn out purebred puppies, who are often the product of inbreeding, they could be sentencing additional dogs to a lifetime of chronic illness and an early death.
That's not to say that mutts don't get sick, but their more diverse genetic makeup lowers the chances that they will suffer from the inherited ailments that often befall purebred dogs. When you adopt a homeless mutt, you not only save a life but also help lessen the demand for more purebred puppies, who may suffer from chronic, painful, and ultimately lethal illnesses.
After taking her own ever-present canine companion, Finn, for some R&R at doggie daycare, Amanda Seyfried stuck up for shelter pups by running errands in L.A. while wearing PETA's "Adopt, Don't Buy" T-shirt.
I wonder if Amanda borrowed the oversized tee from her boyfriend, Ryan Phillippe, who recently adopted a shelter dog. But Amanda's awfully fond of Finn, whom she calls "my son and my light source and kind of a savior …."
Get Amanda's look with PETA's "Adopt, Don't Buy" tee and our low-rise sweat pants.
If you start to hear reports about increasing numbers of fender-benders on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, it's probably because so many teen girls will be slamming on their brakes to check out Justin Bieber's new billboard for PETA.
The cutie-patootie singer added to fans' Bieber fever with his new ad campaign encouraging people to help end animal homelessness by always adopting animals from shelters instead of supporting breeders.
The Biebs has a heart as big as the stadiums that he sells out. His documentary, Never Say Never, hits theaters this Friday.
After reading the last few posts about animal homelessness, euthanasia, and hoarding, some people might be wondering what they can do to help. Perhaps a few of you have even considered starting your own animal rescue group. If so, thank you for caring so deeply, but please—help us focus attention on stemming the flow.
Think of it this way: The animal overpopulation crisis is like water flooding into a sinking ship. We don't need more people bailing; we need to fix the gaping hole in the bottom of the boat! When it comes to ending animal homelessness, the most humane and sustainable solution is to pour our time, money, and effort into having animals spayed and neutered. Preventing more animals from being born stops the problem at its source. Here are some creative ways that we can work toward a no-birth nation:
Another crucial component of ending animal homelessness is educating the public about why it's so important to adopt animals instead of buying them from pet shops or breeders. If you are considering adding a cat or dog to your family, your decision will literally mean life or death for an animal waiting in an animal shelter. If you choose to buy from a breeder or a pet store, an animal at the local shelter must be euthanized. Please, always choose to save a life by adopting your animal companions from animal shelters or reputable adoption groups.
PETA has teamed up with dozens of celebrities—including Justin Bieber, Yvonne Strahovski, Lance Bass, Kellan Lutz, Joanna Krupa, Audrina Patridge, Patricia Arquette, and others—for pro-adoption public service announcements (PSAs). You can help encourage people to adopt animals, never buy, by sponsoring or obtaining free placement for one of these PSAs in a newspaper or magazine.
Thank you for caring. Animals like these are counting on compassionate people like you:
Like so many other rabbits, Bobbi was acquired on a whim and surrendered after her owners discovered how much time and effort are required to care for a rabbit. PETA found Bobbi a loving home, and she now enjoys playing with three other rabbits and sleeping in a bed with her new family.
Julie was once trapped at the end of a chain—one of the worst punishments possible for a dog, especially a collie—but PETA's fieldworkers convinced her owners to surrender her and helped place her in a wonderful home with a family who adores her.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
I don't mean to offend all the other dog parents out there, but I'm fairly certain that I have the coolest dog in the world. I don't mean to brag (well, OK, maybe I do mean to brag), but my German shepherd-something-something-something-mix, Hannah, is pretty much awesome. And, of course, she's a rescue. I love it when people ask me about Hannah because then I can tell them how many terrific animals are just hanging out at animal shelters waiting for their forever families to come along. But when you don't have an adorable rescued dog like Hannah at your side, you can still get people to ask you about animal shelters if you're wearing PETA's 'Adopt, Don't Buy' T-shirt.
Don't have one? Well, that's easy to fix—we'll give you a chance to win one just for telling us about your awesome rescued animal in the comment section below. The person who does the best job of convincing us that his or her dog or cat is the coolest in the world (the coolest dog or cat besides Hannah, of course) will win a tee that can be used to tell others to always adopt and never buy.
The contest ends on February 16, 2011, and the winner will be chosen on February 18, 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!
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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.