Written by Jeff Mackey
Update: After a dog died in a Detroit house fire on Wednesday, PETA is extending our offer of free emergency stickers to 1,000 Detroit-area residents.
The following was originally posted on February 12, 2013:
Following the deaths of two dogs in a recent fire in Cleveland, PETA is offering free "Please Save Our Animals" stickers to the first 1,000 Cleveland-area residents who request them via e-mail during February.
The heartbreaking loss of cherished animal companions should serve as a reminder of the importance of emergency planning that includes all your family members. Firefighters and disaster-relief workers frequently perform heroic rescues of animals, but it's vital to let them know to look for your dogs, cats, or other animals who might be missed amid smoke or wreckage.
If you share your home with animals, placing PETA's bright-yellow emergency window stickers near your front and back doors and on side windows can mean the difference between life and death for them in case a weather emergency or fire strikes when you aren't home. For those outside the Cleveland area, stickers may be ordered from the PETA Catalog—or you can easily create your own sign on your computer and get it laminated at a copy or shipping store.
Written by Michelle Kretzer
It seems as if every other week there's another horror story about an animal who has died or gone missing during airline travel. The most recent one involves Xiaohwa, a frightened cat who bolted when an employee opened her crate at John F. Kennedy International Airport—she is still lost inside the building.
It's just not a good idea to entrust our beloved animals to a system that we barely trust with our shampoo and underwear.
Although some airlines do allow a limited number of small animals to ride inside the cabin, many still think that animals should be treated like baggage. The cargo hold of a plane is a loud, terrifying—and often deadly—place. Because it isn't climate-controlled, it can quickly become sweltering or freezing, putting animals at risk of dying from heatstroke or exposure.
So as the holiday season approaches, many animal guardians are opting to take the scenic route and drive to their destinations. Here are our top tips for traveling with animals to help make the trip smooth sailing:
Some people find that it's easier on animals if they're allowed to stay at home in the care of trusted family members, friends, or sitters. When your animal companions are staying at home, you will want to do the following:
Happy holidays to you and all your family members!
We owe it to our animal companions to learn a little "dogese" or "catish," so here are the meanings of some of the most common animal behaviors:
Now that you're fluent in your animals' language, read up on how to be a great guardian.
Written by Guest Blogger
The following is a guest post from Brophie, who accompanies his guardian to PETA's Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters every day.
As a former "backyard dog," I spent many years outside in all weather extremes. I didn't receive the medical care I needed when I was sick or much of anything I needed, really—but what I craved the most was love.
Then my owner—during Hurricane Irene—left me in the backyard to fend for myself. When the fence blew away (yes, the wind was that strong), I managed to make my way to a fire station. Somehow, I knew that was the best place to go in an emergency. The wonderful firefighters called PETA, and soon I was here in the office, resting on a cushy bed. I received plenty of food, treatment for severe flea allergy dermatitis, and lots of ear scratches (those were what I enjoyed the most). A PETA Foundation staffer couldn't resist my handsome mug (could you?), so I finally learned how it feels to be part of a family.
Like you, we dogs are pack animals. We need our "pack" around us, to snuggle with us, play with us, take us for walks, and make us feel loved every day. I'm fortunate enough to experience all these things now, and I would love for all dogs to have these opportunities, too.
I also get to go to the PETA office every day, where I play with other smart people (dogs) in the PETA dog park and go for walks with my human. Of course, the calming influence of having dogs at work isn't appreciated in every office, so it's vital for guardians to go home on their lunch breaks or hire a well-recommended dog-walker to come by so those dogs don't have to sit "holding it" all day. They also get some essential mental stimulation and exercise. Having plenty of toys around helps, too—they keep our minds and bodies active. But what we really want—and need—is quality time with you, so please, when you come home, take us out for a long walk and play with us. Don't just go dashing off somewhere, leaving us to stare at the wall.
I've seen how the other half lives. And I can't tell you how much happier and healthier I am now that I have all the love and affection I could want.
During PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's recent trip to work with our friends at PETA India and Animal Rahat, the Indian working-animal rescue group that PETA supports, she took part in an impromptu rescue herself (as she is—and more of us should be—regularly inclined to do). As she explains:
We were stuck in traffic. If there had been lanes, it would have been about four lanes on either side of the concrete wall on which people live—their laundry hanging on a string, their babies sitting up there, the works. The road is filled with beggar children, many from crime syndicates, just like in Slumdog Millionaire. Beside the wall, there were two children painting a baby's face with lipstick. One dangled a skinny kitten in the crook of her arm, inches from the cars. We rummaged in our toy bag, selected a stuffed tiger, leapt out of the car, and offered the swap. The children were delighted with their new toy, and we were delighted to have saved a small cat from a bad end. Safe in the car, with a lap to curl into, the kitten fell instantly asleep and, oblivious to all honking and motor noise, slept as if he'd never slept before. We named him Craig after the PETA patron who had helped make this trip possible.
We were stuck in traffic. If there had been lanes, it would have been about four lanes on either side of the concrete wall on which people live—their laundry hanging on a string, their babies sitting up there, the works. The road is filled with beggar children, many from crime syndicates, just like in Slumdog Millionaire.
Beside the wall, there were two children painting a baby's face with lipstick. One dangled a skinny kitten in the crook of her arm, inches from the cars. We rummaged in our toy bag, selected a stuffed tiger, leapt out of the car, and offered the swap. The children were delighted with their new toy, and we were delighted to have saved a small cat from a bad end.
Safe in the car, with a lap to curl into, the kitten fell instantly asleep and, oblivious to all honking and motor noise, slept as if he'd never slept before. We named him Craig after the PETA patron who had helped make this trip possible.
You'll be glad to know that Craig has been adopted and is now a cherished companion.
Every day, Animal Rahat is working to make India a kinder place for animals—especially the bullocks, donkeys, and other working animals who are commonly abused and neglected. Please help Animal Rahat by making a donation to support its lifesaving efforts.
When PETA India Science Policy Adviser Dr. Chaitanya Koduri and his wife, Vidya, found Laila, she was a terrified puppy alone on the streets of Mumbai. But after the couple welcomed her into their home, giving her the care and affection that every dog deserves, Laila blossomed into, as Dr. Koduri describes, "this beautiful, naughty girl who will never get tired of playing. She needs to put her nose into anything and everything."
As you can see, Laila—showing her paws decorated with golden turmeric—gladly joined in the family festivities on Ganesha Chaturthi, which celebrates the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu deity with the head of an elephant.
What You Can Do
As Laila's story shows, people who offer homes to animals in need not only save those animals' lives but also fill their own homes and hearts with boundless love. Please never buy from breeders or pet shops—always adopt.
The dog (and cat) days of summer are coming to a close, but for PETA's Mobile Clinics Division, the season started out busy and just got, well, hotter, as PETA's clinics kept on truckin', bringing low-cost to no-cost spay and neuter surgeries and other veterinary services to animals across PETA's home region.
In August, the mobile clinics spayed or neutered 952 animals, including 128 feral cats and 61 pit bulls. Here are some of the lucky dogs and cats helped by PETA's clinic teams this month:
1.
Sadie was homeless—and very pregnant—when she was found and taken in by this nice family. After her puppies were born, PETA transferred them to a shelter for adoption and spayed Sadie so that she won't contribute to the overpopulation crisis again.
2.
After PETA's caseworkers encountered Zoe while out working in the field, they not only arranged to have her spayed but also provided her with round-trip transportation to and from the clinic.
3.
PETA also transported Sugar and Sage to their appointment with the mobile clinic because their guardians' car wasn't working—but not before the entire family posed for a picture!
Although summer's over, PETA's efforts to stop animal homelessness will continue year-round—your donation will help keep all our lifesaving work moving forward!
PETA's SNIP (Spay and Neuter Immediately, Please!) clinics and Community Animal Project (CAP) are on the job year-round to help animals in need in Virginia and North Carolina—and in 2011, they succeeded again and again in improving the lives of animals and the people who care about them.
SNIP's fleet of mobile spay-and-neuter clinics has "fixed" nearly 80,000 cats and dogs over the past decade—10,564 of them in 2011 alone! In the past year, PETA also helped thousands of guardians keep their animal companions by offering counseling tips, information about animal-friendly housing, and assistance with offering humane care.
Today, we'd like you to meet just a few of the animals whose lives were big-time brightened—and even saved—by CAP and SNIP this past year:
Moose's coat was severely matted, a painful and dangerous condition that can lead to sores and maggot infestations. Moose's family didn't realize how serious matting was and couldn't afford to have the little guy groomed. PETA's fieldworkers spruced him up!
Bailey was suffering from a large mammary tumor that was affecting her ability to walk. PETA's veterinarian successfully removed the tumor, and Bailey was spayed at the same time.
Unlike many pit bulls PETA's fieldworkers meet, Prue lives indoors, but she had already had one litter of unwanted pups. PETA helped prevent more pit bulls from being born by spaying this sweet girl. No more pups for Prue!
Bentley's guardian lives in a very rural area. The closest vet clinic is almost an hour's drive from her house, and she didn't have the $200 that the vet charges for neutering dogs, so PETA took care of Bentley's sterilization, transporting him to and from surgery.
Brownie's guardian is a young single mom with two children. PETA spayed Brownie—who, like Prue, had already had one litter—and provided the family with a leash to walk Brownie (which they now do daily), toys, treats, and a sturdy handmade doghouse, along with warm, dry straw.
Biscuit's guardian took this kitten in as a stray and desperately wanted to keep him but couldn't afford to have him fixed at a vet clinic. If it weren't for PETA, who transported Biscuit to and from his neuter appointment, Biscuit's guardian would have had to surrender him to the local animal shelter.
Please join PETA in calling on elected officials to pass mandatory spay-and-neuter laws in your state, county, and town.
Please also help make sure animals continue to get the help that they so desperately need by making a donation to help keep SNIP's mobile clinics going strong, sponsoring a doghouse (or two) to be built and delivered by CAP, and being ready to help neglected animals in your own community.
Companion-animal neglect and homelessness is a preventable tragedy. By working together, we can end it!
Gracie had been relegated to a tiny cage for weeks when a PETA staffer noticed her and asked her owner if she could give the rabbit a new home. Gracie's owner agreed. After all, she said, she didn't really want a rabbit companion—she'd bought Gracie to feed to her snake, but the rabbit had proved to be too big.
Gracie didn't let her harrowing start to life dampen her spirit, and she became a superstar, posing with actor Charlotte Ross in a PETA anti-fur ad. And in her new home, where she is wanted, Gracie enjoys romping through the vegetable garden and digging holes. She doesn't like it when her chicken companions try to eat her food, but the wily rabbit never hesitates to steal theirs.
While sweet Gracie got her happy ending, she would be saddened if she knew that rabbits just like her are confined to tiny cages every year in laboratories in the U.S. They have cosmetics and household cleaners dripped into their eyes. Their backs are shaved, and corrosive chemicals are painted onto their raw skin and left to burn away the tissue for weeks. Then they are killed.
Show rabbits a little grace. Buy cruelty-free products.
I just received the gift of a 2012 calendar illustrated by Mutts artist Patrick McDonell to go along with my PETA "Rescued" calendar. But my walls won't be the only ones sporting the designs of this talented and compassionate artist in the new year. PETA's mobile SNIP (Spay and Neuter Immediately, Please!) clinic received a facelift earlier this month when it was rewrapped with colorful Mutts artwork, courtesy of McDonnell.
PETA's fleet of state-of-the-art mobile low-cost to no-cost clinics—we now boast three—spayed and neutered more than 10,000 dogs, cats, and rabbits in 2011, and we hope to surpass that number in 2012, thereby preventing thousands of unwanted animals from being born into a world long on suffering and short on good homes. We've spayed and neutered more than 75,000 animals in the last 10 years!
If you'd like to support SNIP's lifesaving work (the clinics operate at a loss and rely on donations to keep "snipping"), we can hook you up.
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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