Tulsa, Oklahoma, resident William Lewallen is facing charges of child neglect, after police reportedly found his 4-year-old toddler locked outside, naked and crying, and his 18-month-old daughter locked inside a crate and covered with feces. 

Although the children apparently showed no immediate, obvious signs of physical injury, PETA is sending the Tulsa District Attorney's Office a book containing some surprising facts about just how deleterious, phsyically and psychologically, crating can be to living beings: Dog in a Box (there's also Dogs Hate Crates). 

Both books are the result of extensive research revealing that crated dogs suffer from loneliness, confusion, and fear and present case studies showing that when dogs are deprived of the social interaction, companionship, and exercise that they (and humans) need, the result can be myriad health and behavioral problems, such as aggression, withdrawal, hyperactivity, depression, eating disorders, separation anxiety, and muscle atrophy.

It's easy to see how someone could have suffered psychological torment while locked inside a crate.  

PETA hopes that, if the charges against William Lewallen are proven, he gets to find out exactly how it feels to be locked up for a long time.

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From Washington state comes another story from the "why you should always adopt, never buy" files.

Today, Benton County law enforcement officials seized more than 400 dogs from a puppy mill owned by 66-year-old Ella Stewart in what they are calling "one of the worst cases" of animal abuse the state has ever seen.

All the dogs reportedly require medical treatment for a variety of ailments, including malnutrition, overgrown nails (which can cause painful foot injuries), and urine burns.

Urine burns! That's because all these pups were found living in makeshift crates (including shopping carts) that were caked with feces and soaked with urine.

You can bet that this isn't an isolated incident. Puppy mills, from which almost all pet stores buy their dogs, are breeding grounds (no pun intended) for disease and neglect. The animals who are unfortunate enough to be housed in these hell holes are viewed as commodities, not as living beings who require exercise, love, and care. They are crammed together into cages that they can barely turn around in, they are fed barely enough to survive, and when they suffer from injuries, their wounds go untreated.

So, the next time you're in the mood to bring a cute, dreamy-eyed pup home, don't support the Ella Stewarts of the world. Stop by your local animal shelter instead.

Written by Shawna Flavell

Here's what Jeff says about this week's masterpiece: "The strip is based on the sad measures that officials have to take in order to protect rhinos from poachers. And a little depravity thrown in for good measure."

He also let me know that, in honor of Earth Week, he sprayed this strip with 50 percent less pesticides. Which was very noble of him, I thought. Anyway, this one's a zinger—enjoy!

Click for a larger version

To check out the archives of past strips, click here.

In England, they do Mother’s Day differently (i.e., they actually celebrate it on the right date). And with Mothering Sunday coming up across the pond, PETA Europe have put together an incredibly striking demonstration to draw attention to the horrible suffering of mother pigs in gestation crates. My friend Alexia has the full story over on her blog Fish & Chimps, but here’s a quick look at the amazing demonstration that’s been getting tons of coverage for pigs abused on factory farms.

It’s pretty well established that Stephen Colbert is the top name in hard-hitting, up-to-the-minute news nowadays—not only does he make or break presidential campaigns, but the dude even has a bridge named after him. And in yet one more coup for the king of late-night news, Colbert is fortunate enough to be hosting PETA President Ingrid Newkirk herself tonight, so that they can discuss the recent HBO documentary about PETA.

To mark this occasion, we’ve mocked up a brand-new Stephen Colbert doghouse for our program to help “backyard” dogs. As Ingrid puts it, “If you were stuck outside on a chain for your whole life in all weather and no love, this might at least make the people in the house over there come by once in a while, just to look, and you could bark at them to pass the time.” Who needs a bridge when they can have a PETA doghouse with their face on it? You’re very welcome, Mr. Colbert.

Here’s hoping the “Colbert bump” we’ll get from this appearance brings us animal liberation by the end of the week. If you have Comedy Central, be sure to check out Ingrid on The Colbert Report tonight at 11:30 p.m. And if you don’t have Comedy Central … well you’re really missing out on a whole lot of stuff—I’ll post the video of the interview on the blog tomorrow morning.

So they’re selling that piece of land next to the big white Hollywood sign. And sadly, it’s just a little bit too expensive for PETA to purchase (like, 20 million dollars too expensive), but we did write to the real estate company today to negotiate a deal for renting the space until they’re able to sell it. Here’s hoping they say yes—I think it would be totally worth it:

The votes have been flowing in (seriously, it’s been a banner year for the Sexy Vegetarian Next Door contest), and we’re down to the top two chicks and the top two dudes. There are still two more days to cast your vote for the winner, so click one of the finalists below to hit up the voting page and crown one of these attractive herbivores North America’s Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door.

In related news, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to all the people who have been writing me in to win this contest.* Sadly, PETA’s employees are ineligible, so those votes will not be counted, but I’m truly humbled by this outpouring of support.

*Technically, nobody has actually done this yet.

It looks like something out of the latest Saw movie, but then that's what vivisection is all about. This stuff goes on behind closed doors all the time, and only occasionally do some of these hideous stories see daylight. This is the latest, from the folks at the University of Washington, who’ve already been slapped with a 12-month probation due to the sorry state of their labs. The shocking violations detailed in PETA's formal complaints to the federal government are now the subject of an in-depth report by Seattle's Komo TV:

This morning, PETA called for an immediate investigation into the use of state funds for experiments at UW that may have violated federal animal protection regulations. Among the barbaric experiments being carried out at UW, monkeys are having their skulls cut open, electrodes inserted into their brains, and wire coils implanted in their eyes. They're restrained in experimentation chairs, with their heads bolted in place so that they can't move while experimenters track their eye movements, and they're deprived of food so that they'll comply during tests. Komo TV's exposé shows that this is just the tip of the iceberg:

Here's what PETA Primate Specialist Dr. Debra Durham says about the case:

The National Eye Institute is funding these experiments at the UW, and we're asking them to stop. You can write to them about this issue here.

Before singling her out on PETA’s Worst Dressed List last week, we contacted Kylie Minogue a number of times to let her know about the cruelty she was supporting with her weird proclivity for wearing reptile skins out in public, but so far she hasn’t even bothered to reply. Well, as Kylie is doubtless figuring out at the moment, we don’t exactly give up around here. The hope is that this latest letter—along with the accompanying video of exactly how reptiles suffer in the exotic-skins industry that she’s been promoting—will appeal to her conscience, while the press she’s getting over her Worst Dressed List appearance continues to do its work on her vanity.

I love this: