Animals have some fantastic friends across the pond. Some are famous for their great wit, while others are known for their head-turning, cruelty-free style.

And then there are the rabble-rousers at PETA U.K., who are relentless in their efforts to speak up for all animals who need a voice. They've just unveiled a new blog, Animal Writes. It covers all things animal rights, from the wonderful (such as PETA U.K.'s new anti-bearskin ad) to the worrisome (such as the sad case of Drizzle, a pony who dropped dead from a heart attack moments after being used by Prince Harry in a recent polo match).

I'll admit that if I hadn't read Animal Writes, I might not have understood how horribly ponies suffer in polo matches. Abuses are so routine that one guest at the polo match said blandly, "It was very lucky that Harry rode her off because we were spared the gruesome spectacle of watching the pony die."

I for one intend to stay in the know on issues and efforts in the U.K. by subscribing to Animal Writes' RSS feed. Will you?

Written by Karin Bennett

dustwave / CC

"[T]he USDA is making every effort to make sure that today's children are the first American generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents."—USDA Blog, January 15, 2010

Call the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) recent blunder whatever you want—a Freudian typo, a meaningful misprint, an epic blog fail—but we can all agree that the error was a telling one, accidentally revealing the truth about the USDA. We know that the USDA meant to write, "the USDA is making every effort to make sure that today's children are not the first American generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents" [emphasis added], but by promoting meat, eggs, and dairy products and allowing the National School Lunch Program to serve these fatty, cholesterol-laden foods to schoolchildren, the USDA is putting kids' lives at risk.

The typo has already been corrected on the USDA's blog, but the real, fatal error won't be corrected until the USDA starts urging children to eat cruelty-free.

Written by Logan Scherer

An Excerpt From "Grooming Sounds Grand Until Bowser Gets Baked" (From KP's Dog Blog)

Little Miss came away from her grooming appointment with a broken tail.

Many people saw the grooming exposé "Pet Grooming Dangers," on the Today show on August 1, which was prompted by the grooming death of Sushi, the 2-year-old Labrador retriever of one of the Today show's employees. Sushi had been left for a week at a boarding facility and was supposed to get a bath before being picked up. When her guardian, Amanda, arrived to pick her up, instead of the thrill of a joyful reunion, she experienced the horror of learning that Sushi was unconscious. Not long after that, Sushi died at the vet's. Later it was determined that Sushi had been put inside a "cage dryer" for 30 minutes with the temperature set at 100°F.

I took one look at those dryers in the Today piece and shuddered. I couldn't believe my ears as I watched person after person, including someone from The Humane Society of the United States repeat some version of the mantra, "These cage dryers are safe if used properly."

Excuse me? First of all, the cage dryer has a setting that goes up to 100°F, so it has a built-in setting for death. Secondly, machines malfunction. A groomer might think that the dryer was set at 80°F, but in reality, it might go haywire and shoot up to 100°F or even 135°F. Thirdly, there are many dogs who, for various reasons, are automatically going to be at high risk inside one of these contraptions. These include dogs with flat muzzles, older dogs, dogs with heart problems, dogs with respiratory problems, etc. Finally, the dryers are run by mere mortals, who work for a largely unregulated industry. On any given day, a person can be distracted, tired, hung over, ill, depressed, or just plain stupid—any of which could cause a careless mistake, leading to tragedy…

Read the full entry on KP's Dog Blog.

evilbeetgossip / CC

So it was great to read on People.com this morning that the actress and producer is jumping headfirst into the blogging world. And by headfirst, I mean straight into the deep end of animals rights. Hey, we like a girl who gets right down to business!

She mentions her love for her dogs, nonprofit organizations, and Hole in the Paper Sky, a recent short film about the life of a man who is forever changed by the companionship he receives from a laboratory dog. Whether you've seen PETA's video about animal testing or not, Hole in the Paper Sky sounds like a definite tearjerker.

Anyway, Biel is MySpace Celebrity's feature icon, and here's her blog. So while she's mastering the whole blog-lingo thing, I recommend jumping on over there to see what she has to say.

And don't worry, Jessica. There are no blurkers here. ...

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky