Written by PETA
For years, scientists have been pushing fertility drugs to help increase the chances of conceiving, but can boosting one's "baby chances" be as simple as eating more greens? Well, blow me down, it might be! Results from a major Harvard University study suggest that going vegetarian may increase fertility.
To help spread this baby-mama buzz, we've created our own labor of love: a billboard touting vegetables as an essential dietary component to rev up the body's procreation potential. Those strategically placed veggies speak for themselves.
We hope to run the billboard in New Hampshire, which has one of the lowest birth rates in the nation.
Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky
You had to see this coming. No sooner did A-Rod fess up to taking performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 than we began thinking that the Yankees third baseman should prove that he is committed to being drug-free by—you guessed it—going vegetarian.
"A-Roid" may have voluntarily doped up to enhance his performance, but cows, pigs, turkeys, and chickens are pumped full of growth-promoting drugs in an effort to make them grow fatter faster and to ward off the diseases that are rampant in the cramped, filthy conditions on today's factory farms. Humans, in turn, ingest the drugs when they eat the animals' flesh—no injections required. Therefore, if A-Rod wants to be truly drug-free, then he'll certainly want to listen to our advice.
Written by Alisa Mullins
I had occasion to ride my bike into downtown Houston one evening last week. While it was great to see a lot of nightlife happening in this once-dead part of our fair city, there was one sight that wasn't so welcome: carriages drawn by sad, exhausted horses.
Frequent PETA Files visitors know about our work to help horses in New York City, but the problem isn't limited to the Big Apple. Case in point: According to news reports, Chicago authorities recently impounded six horses from carriage ride operator JC Cutters. The animal control manager reportedly said that the animals' body weights and the condition of the outdoor tent in which the horses were living were factors in the decision.
Did you get that? The horses were reportedly living in a tent, which the Chicago Tribune described as a "tarp-covered plywood barn near the Chicago River." In the Windy City. In winter. Nice, huh? Maybe Liam Neeson should set up some new digs there.
Now, it's great that Chicago has addressed this immediate problem, but these situations will keep happening as long as we keep putting the horse before the cart, so to speak—and not just in New York and Chicago but everywhere this sad excuse for "entertainment" occurs.
Meanwhile, with Valentine's day coming up, it's worth remembering that horse-drawn carriage rides are anything but romantic (or, as Will said of them on Will & Grace, "It seems romantic at first, but eventually you realize you're cold and you're staring at an ass that craps right in front of you").
Fortunately, New York City Council Member Daniel Garodnick of Manhattan has taken up our suggestion to replace horse-drawn carriages there with environmentally-friendly electric replicas of the classic Ford Model T and is running with it. The current carriage drivers might even be able to make the transition to driving the new cars—you gotta love a win-win situation like that.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Last week, in honor of our favorite Olympic stoner, we decided to run a billboard that declared, "Say No to Pot Roast." When the billboard made a huge splash in headlines, we started getting requests for a T-shirt sporting the slogan. Take a deep breath and get ready for this one:
Are you listening, Mr. Phelps? Maybe your enormous lung capacity could be put to better use letting the world know about the benefits of going vegetarian.
Written by Lianne Turner
If you watch the USA network, then you are probably aware that the Westminster dog show is next week. They're promoting it out the wazoo—I know this from being forced to sit through commercial breaks during House because the Best Cat in the Universe is snoozing on my lap.
Anyhoo, PETA wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to get dog breeders' dander up, so we'll be outside Madison Square Garden during the show.
Last year, we held giant posters bearing the image of a sad-eyed shelter dog and reading "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances." This year, we're up to something different and thought-provoking: We'll show up dressed as Klansmen to point out some of the eerie similarities between the AKC and the KKK. Pure bloodlines, master race/master pedigree, woeful lack of fashion sense. Creepy, isn't it?
To give you a sneak peek, here's the leaflet that our "KKK recruiter" will hand out:
And here's the banner that our hooded henchmen will brandish:
Purebreds only? Wrong for people. Wrong for dogs.
You guys remember how the BBC dropped coverage of Crufts, the UK's big dog show, right? After that, we asked USA Network to do the decent thing and follow suit by refusing to air the American Kennel Club's Westminster Dog Show.
Well, it seems that USA is determined to wring a few bucks out of the suffering and illness of dogs and will be airing Westminster as planned.
OK, USA, if that's the way you want to play it, we're not above doing an end run and going directly to your oxygen supply. That's right—we've written to USA's Westminster sponsors (LifeLock, TransUnion, Intuit, the CityKids Foundation, the Flex Belt, and Pedigree) and asked them to withdraw their support. Read our letter here.
We obviously can't count on either USA or the AKC to put honor before profit, but we hope that there are still a few businesses out there that will step up and help make a difference for dogs.
After years of breeding dogs that end up sick and short-lived (as was brought to light in a special BBC documentary), U.K. breeders are scrambling to change the very breeding standards that they touted a minute ago.
Following the BBC's decision to drop Crufts, the UK equivalent of the Westminster Dog Show, The Kennel Club in the UK has announced new breeding standards for 209 different breeds in an attempt to make the dogs healthier. For example, bulldogs will now be taller, leaner, and have smaller faces. But guess what? I think that I have a much more obvious solution:
Stop breeding dogs!
Mutts are usually far healthier than "purebreds," and millions of these angels are being euthanized every year because so many people search for the "perfect" bred dog. Breedism is sicker than the dogs it creates, and it is directly responsible for robbing shelter dogs of their chances to find happy homes!
The kennel clubs need to stop trying to sweep their abysmal code under the rug and drop the whole concept of breeding standards. Just pack 'em up and move 'em out already. The man who said, "[A] lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me," is being sworn in on January 20, and everyone needs to swear by mutts from now on.
Written by Christine Doré
We recently reported that Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife bought a dog from a breeder instead of adopting one from an animal shelter. Fortunately, the moaning was loud enough for the Bidens to get the message, and our VP-elect says that he's getting a second dog, this one from an animal shelter.
PETA is sending Biden and his pups praise and presents in honor of this good news. We're delivering a basket containing soy pig ears; spay certificates, including free transportation to PETA's own mobile spay-and-neuter clinic; plastic popsicle pull toys; coupons that he can give the pup that are good for tummy rubs and long walks; and maybe even doggie beer. PETA is also promising to send a $500 gift bag of supplies and treats to the animal shelter that helps the Bidens save a homeless pooch.
PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said the following about this good news: "Thanks go out to VP-elect Biden for raising the issue of the companion animal overpopulation crisis in this country, which is as bleak as our economy. Animal homelessness also requires urgent attention by cutting animal breeders off at the pass and bailing out animal shelters."
Written by Joel Bartlett
"So, PETA," you might be asking as the end of the year quickly approaches, "what exactly did y'all do this year? Anything interesting?"
We're glad you asked, as it just so happens that we've put together this video, which just so happens to highlight some of the sweet PETA goings-on from 2008. Watch it and tell us what you think:
"But oh, dear PETA Files," you might be saying, "I wish I could read more about all the cool stuff I saw in that video." Well, friends, you have come to the right place!
We at the PETA Files are more than happy to tell you all about how we took to the streets as M&Ms, Trollsens, and naked ladies in the shower. We love telling you about PETA celeb friends, from rather-go-naked Eva, Amanda, and Jenna, to vegetarians Shanna, Mac, and John. Oh, and of course we know everything about doggie- and kitty-loving Fred, Carrie Ann, and Simon as well as horse-defending Kristen, Pink, and Alec. Ya know, not to name-drop or anything.
And don't worry—we can also tell you all about victories such as the new animal welfare policies for KFC suppliers in Canada, the spay-and-neuter ordinance in Los Angeles, Zappos.com's promise to go fur-free, the E.U.'s ban on seal fur, and the new regulations for horseracing—not to mention our investigations at a Hormel supplier and Aviagen.
Of course, if you'd rather see more pictures, you can also check out our awesome end-of-year slideshow.
This has been quite the year, wouldn't you say? What was your favorite PETA moment from 2008?
Written by Amanda Schinke
Marley & Me is coming out soon, and—even though it is decidedly mutt-free—we are nuts about this film's message.
OK, in case you don't know, Marley is based on the bestselling book by John Grogan and stars Owen Wilson as Grogan and Jennifer Aniston as his wife, Jenny. When they adopt Marley, an adorable but rambunctious (and growing) puppy, all heck breaks loose.
Now, anyone who has raised a puppy knows that it can be, uh, challenging (can I get an amen?), but Marley is in the big leagues—knocking over tables, shredding furniture, eating … well, I won't give too much away. But the cool—and right—thing is that John and Jenny deal with all the frustrations and stick to their commitment to Marley by providing lots of walks, playtime, and more.
And here's one of the best things about this: Grogan and the director as well as Fox 2000, the studio that is distributing the film, proved that Hollywood has a heart. More than a year ago, our L.A. office wrote to the folks at Fox 2000 asking if they'd tweak the story so that Marley was rescued from a rescue group or shelter instead of being bought from a breeder—and guess what? Yep, they did it! So, hopefully, anyone inspired to add a four-legged friend to the family will become part of the solution, instead of part of the problem, and will understand that life with a puppy comes with difficulties as well as delights. (These tips might help if you're living with a Marley of your own.)
So, let's see. Adorable stars of various species? Comic mishaps and tugged heartstrings? A story about love, understanding, and family bonding, just in time for the holidays, plus a great message about saving dogs and staying committed to them for their lives? I'm so there!
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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