Written by PETA
In a unanimous vote on Tuesday night, Lake Worth, Florida, became the first city on the East Coast to ban the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores. (Two California cities—South Lake Tahoe and West Hollywood—have enacted similar laws.)
Lake Worth's new law only allows the sale of dogs and cats on the same property where they were bred, which effectively prohibits pet shops from selling animals, because such stores normally obtain puppies from brokers, who in turn obtain them from puppy mills, which are often located hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
"My goal is to stop the importation of these animals from puppy mills that are inhumane and cruel," said County Commissioner Shelley Vana.
Which brings us to our weekly reminder to never, ever purchase an animal from a pet store. I know, I know, they're so cute, pitiful, etc. But repeat after me: You are not "rescuing" them—you are paying puppy mills to breed another litter. Without paying customers, puppy mills would go out of business. It's that simple. Meanwhile, by adopting from your local animal shelter instead, you can help keep it in the business of rescuing, spaying, neutering, and placing homeless animals. The shelter may be a little farther out of the way than the local strip mall, but it's worth the trip.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Did you watch the big game yesterday? No, not the one with guys running around in yellow pants. I'm talking about Puppy Bowl VII, in which pups who are up for adoption at shelters and rescue groups battle it out on a minigridiron to score "puppy touchdowns" with a plush football. OK, so there may have been more sniffing than scoring going on at the Puppy Bowl, but no one can deny that these adoptable pups are all MVPs (most valuable puppies)!
Thanks, Animal Planet, for helping to get the word out that homeless animals are eager to be "drafted" into loving homes.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
PETA is giving a Compassionate Action Award to Mark Greenaway, a Gatineau, Québec, resident who rescued a dog from a burning building. Greenaway isn't a firefighter, but when he saw smoke coming from a duplex, he risked his own life by running into both burning apartments to save anyone who might be inside. In the second apartment, he found a dog trapped inside a locked cage. He ripped off the front of the cage and carried the dog to safety. This dog's close call serves as a reminder of the dangers of crating. A crated dog is powerless to escape disasters like fires or floods (PETA found many dogs drowned in their cages in the wake of Hurricane Katrina), and crating also denies dogs the opportunity to engage in normal activities such as walking around, stretching out to relax, and looking out windows.
If you are tempted to crate your dog as a form of house training, please keep in mind that puppies don't develop bladder control until they are 6 months old, so crating will not necessarily prevent "accidents." Please consider alternatives to crating such as dog-training classes, doggie day care, a dog walker, or a dog door that leads to a fenced yard. It's also a great idea to post a sticker on your window in case of a fire or other emergency to let people know that you have companion animals in your home.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and nowhere is this truer than when it comes to spaying and neutering dogs and cats. That's why I'm so excited to announce that 2010 was a banner year for PETA's mobile clinics, which spayed and neutered a record 10,683 animals. That includes 919 feral cats and 478 pit bulls (135 of whom were sterilized at no charge to their guardians). In addition, 1,372 surgeries were performed on the animals of indigent families. Our clinics have sterilized more than 69,000 dogs, cats, and rabbits in the last decade!
All those spay/neuter surgeries will prevent the births of hundreds of thousands of kittens and puppies who would have otherwise likely struggled for survival on the mean streets or been euthanized simply because there aren't enough good homes.
PETA's clinics also provide spay/neuter services to local animal shelters and rescue groups to ensure that none of the animals who are adopted contributes to the overpopulation crisis by having puppies and kittens!
2010 was a booming year for PETA's clinics, but I know already that 2011 is going to be even better, because PETA has secured funding for a third mobile clinic! The yet-to-be-named state-of-the-art clinic will join PETA's SNIP and ABC clinics, which work around the clock to fight the overpopulation crisis in PETA's own backyard.
Want to help? Check out PETA's ABC pages to learn how to promote animal birth control in your own community and reduce the number of homeless animals who need to be rescued in the first place. Please also join PETA in calling on elected officials to pass mandatory spay/neuter laws in your state, county, and town. Together, we can become a no-birth nation—which is the only way to become a "no-kill" nation.
UPDATE: PETA has sent a second letter to Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton urging that the Department of State allow U.S. citizens in Egypt to allow their companion animals to be evacuated with them. The evacuation of companion animals from disaster zones is a life-or-death issue affecting animals and people. Please help these animals and U.S. citizens in Egypt and use our e-mail form to urge the State Department to allow companion animals safe transport out of Egypt with their families.
Amid the political riots in Egypt, the U.S. State Department is evacuating U.S. nationals. But evacuees are being told that they are not allowed to take their companion animals on the planes. People are being forced to choose between risking their lives by staying in Egypt or abandoning their nonhuman family members to fend for themselves.
For people fleeing Egypt, having their entire family together—including their companion animals—is important to their peace of mind. Please use our e-mail form to urge the State Department to allow companion animals safe transport out of Egypt with their families.
I'm one of the few folks who saw TRON in the theater during its original 1982 release. Of course, after it came out on video, the film acquired a fervent following. In fact, it has become so popular that it has now inspired a brand-new sequel, TRON: Legacy, which opens on Friday. As if I wasn't already psyched enough to see it, I've learned that when the main character, Sam, is reunited with his dad after 20 years, Sam says that he has a dog to whom he is devoted and who "is a rescue." It's a smart way of showing that Sam's a great guy. Kudos to the filmmakers for making the point that people who care about animals always adopt and never buy.
Written by Jeff Mackey
As temperatures across the nation start to plummet, we're releasing our new "Cold Dog" public service announcement (PSA) starring Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs and his very dapper canine friend, 99.
There's no question that dogs who are stuck on chains or in backyard pens suffer from isolation, boredom, and loneliness year-round, but winter's snow, ice, and frigid temperatures pile even more anguish onto their bleak existences—and put them in danger as well.
Why is Lance inspired to draw attention to the plight of neglected dogs? In PETA's exclusive interview, he says, "One of the responsibilities, I believe, for not only football players but celebrities alike is to be able to give back … to not only to where you come from but to those that you love, you know, and animals are a big part of that."
Can the animals count on you to give back too? Honor the animals who have given you so much love by asking your local television station to air PETA's new ad—it might very well inspire others in your area to rescue dogs from the bitter cold. And be sure to check out Lance's print ad and share his new "Cold Dog" PSA with your friends and neighbors.
Comment below by December 30 and tell us how you're going to be a dog's biggest defender and win a synthetic football autographed by Lance. Winner will be chosen January 3. Be sure to 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!
Written by Karin Bennett
I saw this in the mailroom outbox and couldn't resist sharing it with you.
I really hope that Santa gives us everything we're asking for. What would you ask Santa to do for animals?
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
A dog who was beaten so severely that he now has to wear special goggles to shield his eyes from sunlight has inspired a proposed law in Florida that would make it a domestic-violence offense to torment a family member by physically abusing or threatening to harm or kill an animal.
The dog, "Little Horatio" (an alias used to protect the identity of those involved), once belonged to an 81-year-old woman whose son bludgeoned the dog in order to manipulate his mother. Thankfully, Little Horatio and his former guardian are both safe now—in fact, Little Horatio lives with Kathy Cornwell, a victim advocate for the Area Agency on Aging of Pinellas-Pasco, who urged Florida state Sen. Mike Fasano to file the proposed law.
The abusive scenario in which Little Horatio and his former guardian were trapped is not uncommon. Tampa Bay Online references a report showing that 71 percent of women who own animals and who enter shelters for abused women say that their abusers had harmed, killed, or threatened their animals. Studies have shown that up to 40 percent of victimized women have delayed seeking refuge from their abusers for as long as two months because of concerns for their animal companions' safety.
For all victims of domestic violence, let's keep our fingers, toes, and paws crossed that this law passes. If you live in Florida, please contact your local legislators and ask them to support the proposed law.
We're over the moon to report that the team working PETA's "Spay and Neuter Immediately, Please" (SNIP) mobile clinic met their goal to spay and neuter 10,000 dogs and cats by the end of 2010—by December 1. This means that SNIP will likely end the year having performed closer to a record-breaking 11,000 low-cost or free surgeries and sparing multitudes of their patients' future generations from winding up in animal shelters or suffering on city streets.
Consider that in six years, one unaltered female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies—and that in seven years, one female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens. The numbers of animals saved from suffering thanks to SNIP is astronomical—and way, way more than my calculator could figure.
Let's meet some happy recipients of SNIP's services:
George also enjoys his warm, dry doghouse from PETA.
Paris, the doggy of love
The ridiculously adorable Duckie and his Mama
Congratulations and a bazillion thanks to clinic manager Cindy Emanuel and the entire SNIP team for their tireless, lifesaving efforts in 2010—and here's to much more of the same in 2011!
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.
Follow PETA on Twitter!