Written by PETA
What do breeders breed—besides dogs with crippling congenital defects?
Canine racism.
PETA U.K. recently unveiled its new "Boycott Breeders" ad just in time for the Crufts Dog Show—an event that, like the Westminster Dog Show in the U.S., encourages the false and dangerous belief that some races breeds of dogs are superior to others.
About one in four pedigree dogs is born with painful and life-threatening genetic defects—including hypothyroidism, demodectic mange, epilepsy, cataracts, allergies, chronic ear infections, and hip dysplasia—all of which have been handed down through generations of inbreeding and selective breeding. And pedigree dogs aren't the only animals who suffer because of the breeding industry. Every time a dog is purchased from a breeder, another who has been awaiting adoption in an animal shelter, longing for a home, dies. It's a fact: Breeding purebreds in a world in which millions of animals are homeless is pure heartlessness.
Written by Logan Scherer
Twilight star Kellan Lutz may be totally convincing as an alpha vampire, but he's got a soft side that could eclipse Emmett Cullen's brute force any day. Lutz poses in PETA's newest "Adopt, Don't Buy" ad with his adorable rescued mutt Kola, spreading the message that every time someone purchases a dog or cat from a pet store or breeder, a door is shut in the face of an animal waiting in an animal shelter or roaming the streets. Check out our exclusive interview with Kellan, who gushes over meeting Kola (spoiler: It was love at first sight!) and has some special words for "Twilighters":
Kellan—who will star in the upcoming remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street—is so committed to ending the nightmare suffered by millions of homeless animals that since shooting our ad he has adopted another lucky dog! Want more compassionate Cullen goodness? Enter our contest to win a Twilight DVD signed by Kellan himself.
We were inundated with precious pics of your too-cute-for-140-characters animal companions in our Valentine's Day Twitter contest, and now we're featuring the winners in four V-Day e-cards:
At the top left, meet Meeme and Mochi, who may have been watching too much Twilight before their picture was taken. The cutie in the top right is Fifi and in the bottom left is Cricket, the eye patch–sporting dog who was rescued from a trash bin. Last but not least, meet Lucia and James, who apparently can't get enough of each other.
Choose your favorite card and send it to your valentine with a personalized message. Oh, and not to worry—you're not limited to 140 characters!
Simon Cowell's Idol judgments come out in quick-witted doses, but he knows that the decision to adopt an animal companion is a weighty one that must be given long and meaningful thought. When Simon heard that X Factor winner Alexandra Burke wanted a dog, he apparently convinced her to slow down and reconsider, telling her that she wouldn't have time to care for a dog properly.
With more and more celebrities succumbing to a fad that means dogs get passed around like knickknacks or abandoned in animal shelters, Simon's useful and kind message is a life saver: The responsibility of living with animal companions—who require veterinary care, love, and tons of real attention—is one that everyone should take seriously.
With Mason's dashing arrival and our fave fauxvocative sister becoming Mrs. Lamar Odom, the Kardashian clan has been busy. But on last night's episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim's storyline went beyond her on-again sparks with Reggie Bush and made dog lovers everywhere give her "two paws up." Kim found an abandoned Chihuahua outside a nail salon, named her Princess, and took her in. She then brought Princess to a vet who performed lifesaving uterine surgery and whose assistant eventually adopted her. Kim was so moved by the experience that she even went back to volunteer at the pound where she first brought Princess. Aww! Maybe this experience (and some help from lil' sis Khloe) will be enough to convince her to star in our "Be an Angel for Animals" ad campaign?
Written by Christine Doré
Or, rather, holy smokin'…
If Joanna Krupa's previously released ad about animal adoptions somehow escaped anyone's attention, today the supermodel and Dancing With the Stars alum joined PETA for a protest outside a Los Angeles pet store to reveal the racier version of her compassionate message.
Joanna is taking action against pet shops and puppy mills that cash in by selling animals. Not only did she pose for several sultry ads with a bevy of rescued dogs and participate in the protest today, she also did a behind-the-scenes interview for us and discussed the ad yesterday during an appearance on Lopez Tonight, where George Lopez called her new ad "the hottest photo in the history of animal cruelty prevention."
Joanna aims to urge all future companion animal guardians to adopt animals from shelters, where millions of animals wait for their forever homes. She says, "[T]hey're in these little tiny cages, and all they're doing is breeding their whole life. It makes me so angry that our government doesn't do anything about it. So I am!" No matter if a person is determined to get a puppy or bent on a purebred (or even a purebred puppy!), there's no excuse to buy a puppy or a kitten from a pet store or breeder. Ever. Period.
Written by Karin Bennett
Donny Osmond may have taken home the disco-ball trophy last night on the Dancing With the Stars finale, but Joanna Krupa, the stunning Polish model and cha cha champ, just became this fan's favorite, thanks to this ad:
In a sneak peak of our ads with Joanna and Rugby, the two of them reveal how people can their earn wings on earth—by deciding to adopt, rather than buy, companion animals. Every time a dog or cat is purchased from a pet store or breeder, an animal in a shelter loses his or her chance for a forever home.
And to think, this is only the beginning—a racier version will be released after Thanksgiving. Check back with PETA.org for all the naughty details.
When President Obama received this year's lucky turkey to be pardoned, he had some brow-raising reservations: "I'm told Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson actually ate their turkeys. You can't fault them for that; that's a good-looking bird," he said.
Malia and Sasha's response? No. He. Couldn't.
"Thanks to the interventions of Malia and Sasha—because I was planning to eat this sucker—'Courage' will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate," he said.
To show Malia and Sasha that we're thankful for their lifesaving involvement this Thanksgiving, we're giving the girls an honorary membership to PETA Kids!
Thanksgiving is all about the leftovers, but what about the things that come before the meal? This holiday is nothing without pre-shindig anticipation, so here are some tasty tidbits to hold you over before tomorrow's cruelty-free feast:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Our sexy pilgrims put the free in cruelty-free in Atlanta yesterday, giving out complimentary Tofurkys to lucky passersby. The sizzling settlers charmed the lunchtime crowd and even convinced a restaurant owner to give a Tofurky to his chef.
The visit to Atlanta marked the end of our six-city Sexy-Pilgrim Tofurky-Giveaway Tour, but the tasty generosity never has to end. Save lives and the environment by making your Thanksgiving a vegan one—check out our scrumptious Thanksgiving guide.
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.
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