Two PETA staffers were delivering straw bedding to cold "outdoor dogs" in rural Virginia when they spotted a thin young beagle dangerously close to the highway. The staffers had barely gotten out of the car when the friendly dog came bounding up to them. He was wearing a collar with a phone number, so the staffers called the owner after first taking the pup back to PETA's Norfolk headquarters for a much-needed warm bath and good meal.

The man said that he no longer wanted the dog—whom he had never even bothered to name—because, as the saying goes, "That dog don't hunt." (It's not uncommon for hunters simply to abandon unwanted dogs.) But the owner was willing to drive an hour and a half to our headquarters to retrieve the dog's collar.

PETA staffers knew that the gentle dog with the soulful eyes would make someone an ideal animal companion. Not long after he was vaccinated, neutered, treated for Lyme disease and internal parasites, and put up for adoption, Augie found his perfect forever home with a PETA staffer and his family.

The staffer has a 14-year-old son who is now Augie's best friend. And Augie comes to work at the PETA office, brightening everyone's days with his buoyant personality.

As it turned out, the dog who had been cast aside because he wasn't a good hunter had no trouble sniffing out a lovely new life. 

Update 2: 

Well, the results are in, and the friends of felines have carried the day: The new Monopoly token will be a cat—inspired by a real-life rescued kitty (see below)—to replace the older iron token.

Thank you to all you Monopoly fans who cast your votes in recognition of the fact that no one wins when people breed and buy animals. Remember: The best way to show more than a token interest in helping homeless cats is always to adopt them from shelters or rescues and make sure they're spayed or neutered. 

Update:

Following PETA's appeal to replace the current purebred "Scottie dog" token in Monopoly with one representing a rescued mutt (see original post below), Hasbro Gaming Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader Eric Nyman responded in a letter to PETA, saying:

You can vote for the new cat token here. 

Originally posted on January 16th:

Monopoly players can be fanatical about their token of choice—I always have to play as the dog. Now, Hasbro is shaking things up with plans to retire one of the traditional Monopoly tokens, with the decision based on online voting. It looks like the little pooch will make the cut, so PETA is urging the company to make another change that could save real dogs by altering the token's look and referring to it as a "rescued mutt" instead of a purebred "Scottie dog."

Breeding Hurts—and Kills

How would this switch help dogs? Including a dog who is clearly a mixed breed would remind players that these canines are just as lovable, loyal, and deserving as any purebred and that every time someone chooses to buy a dog from a pet store or breeder, a homeless animal loses his or her chance at finding a home. For millions of dogs in shelters, there is no "Get out of jail free" card. Approximately half of the 6 to 8 million animals who enter shelters every year are euthanized, largely for lack of a good home.

Purebred dogs are also more likely to suffer from debilitating conditions and painful congenital disorders. Scotties, for example, are often affected by a hereditary disorder called "Scotty cramp," which can significantly impair their ability to run or even walk normally. Because they are not bred to produce specific physical traits, mixed-breed dogs have a lower risk for respiratory problems, bone disease, hemophilia, cataracts, hip dysplasia, and other disorders.

What You Can Do

 Please never buy any animal from a breeder or pet store. Instead, give a shelter mutt a "Chance"—you'll gain a wonderful companion while also helping to alleviate animal overpopulation, which causes so much misery.

A driver on a rural highway in Ohio spotted a dog lying on the side of the road. She stopped her car and got out to check on the dog but couldn't tell much about her condition, other than that she appeared to be breathing. The driver called PETA but unfortunately hadn't contacted local police or animal control and had left the scene instead of staying until help arrived.

PETA immediately contacted local authorities, but we were told that they had just one officer on duty, who would check on the dog "when he has time." So we sought help from our most valuable resource: our members. After a few phone calls and e-mails, we found a young woman, Jess, who was willing to drive the two hours from her home to go to the dog's aid.

When Jess found the pup, she was no longer lying by the roadway. Instead, she was running in the neighborhood nearby—and she wasn't alone. A male dog, who was likely trying to mate with her, was now at her side, and he growled every time Jess tried to approach. Undaunted, Jess began knocking on doors in the area and finally located the male dog's guardian. With the other dog safely out of the way, Jess could now try to catch the stray, but the wily dog kept dodging her. With night closing in, Jess knew she had to go home and try again in the daylight.

Before setting out again, Jess borrowed a trap from animal control and baited it with tempting food. The starving dog likely hadn't had a decent meal in days, and she was quickly lured into the trap—and into Jess' waiting arms. Jess took the pup to the local animal shelter, and as she headed back to her home, she was content in knowing that with just a few hours of her time, she had helped a forgotten dog get a chance at a home of her own. 

Can PETA call on you when an animal is suffering in your area? Join PETA's Action Team to help save animals when they need you most. 

The following was written by Kaitlynn Kelly, Media Coordinator. 

I spend my days at PETA fielding calls from the media to answer questions about our news releases and explain our campaigns. I love my job, but I don't often get to see its impact on animals firsthand. So when the opportunity arose to deliver straw to cold "outdoor dogs," I jumped at the chance. I had no idea that I'd be coming home that day with my own Marley & Me story.

Our team discovered Marley because he was barking at a pit bull we were delivering straw to a couple of yards away. Marley and the pit bull could clearly see each other, and I thought how frustrating it must be for them to see each other, day in and day out, but not to be able to meet, sniff, or play.

As prisoner to a 10-foot-long chain 24/7, Marley's entire world consisted of a circle of mud at the far end of his owner's backyard. His doghouse was barren, his water bucket was so filthy that it was just another mud puddle, and his food bowl was at the farthest point that his chain would reach, presumably so that his owner could simply dump food into the bowl and walk away without having to touch him.

Marley was understandably guarded when I approached him, but when I held out the back of my hand, he licked it. Then, excited at the prospect of attention, he started to bounce up and down and run back and forth as much as his chain would allow. Marley's owner came out and grabbed the joyful dog by his head, loudly commanding, "Be still! Be still!" Marley, obviously uncomfortable, tried to move his face a little, and the old man smacked him on the head. 

I wanted so badly to whisk him away from his abusive owner. But despite his seeming disdain for Marley, the man didn't want to surrender him. So we did what we could for the neglected dog: We covered his muddy patch of ground with straw, cleaned out the dirty water bucket, and gave him fresh food. We convinced the owner to let us replace Marley's chain with a lightweight tie-out. The tie-out added 5 feet to Marley's living space, and he immediately started exploring, feeling grass beneath his feet for what I am sure was the first time in months if not years. I offered Marley a bone, and he gratefully licked my hand before taking it. 

My heart went out to every dog I met that day, but it's Marley I go to bed thinking about, and I am determined to help him. I might not be able to change the world, but I can change Marley's world, and that's just what I intend to do. 

Floyd was purchased from a California breeder, and like so many of the purebreds sold as mere "inventory" by puppy mills and other animal peddlers, the bulldog puppy's health suffered because the breeder focused on the bottom line rather than proper care.

So Young, So Much Suffering

By mating related dogs, breeders are essentially inbreeders, leading to a host of hereditary defects —it's estimated that one in four purebred dogs suffers from serious congenital health problems. After two veterinarians diagnosed Floyd with congenital kidney disease, his guardian urged the breeder to stop breeding the puppy's parents and notify the other people who had bought puppies from the same litter. The breeder callously dismissed her concerns, so she contacted officials with the American Kennel Club, but they merely suggested that she give the breeder a bad review online.

By the time PETA learned of Floyd's condition, the puppy was desperately ill, vomiting, lethargic, and barely able to eat or drink. Since he suffered from other health problems as well, a veterinarian determined that Floyd was a poor candidate for a transplant, the only treatment for his disease.

PETA's caseworker explained to Floyd's guardian that breeders frequently sell sick dogs and that the law often protects breeders more than the animals and their guardians. Floyd's guardian made the difficult but merciful decision to prevent Floyd from enduring further misery by having him euthanized.

What You Can Do

There is no such thing as a responsible breeder. Aside from the health problems that purebred dogs have, each dog and cat bred and sold by a breeder takes a home away from another animal waiting to be adopted at an animal shelter. Please don't contribute to the animal overpopulation crisis by buying animals from pet shops or breeders—always adopt from a reputable animal shelter or rescue.

Miley Cyrus' fans have watched her grow into a gorgeous young woman with a kind and compassionate heart, so to celebrate her 20th birthday on November 23, PETA is surprising Miley with something that she really wants.

© StarMaxInc.com

During a recent appearance on Ellen, Miley talked about how much she loves pigs, so PETA sponsored a very special pig in her honor. Nora, whom PETA helped rescue, is a resident at Kindred Spirits Sanctuary, a picturesque farm in Ocala, Florida, that gives refuge to animals who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned, including pigs, cows, goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, horses, and donkeys.

Miley proved her affection for pigs when she retweeted a PETA action alert to her 10 million followers asking them to urge Walmart to ban its suppliers from cruelly confining pigs to tiny metal-barred gestation crates for months at a time.

And the singer's compassion for animals doesn't stop there. She lavishes love on her rescued dogs and consistently encourages people always to adopt and never buy. And she's striving to rid her diet of dairy products.

Miley's fans are awesome animal advocates, too. They've set up a special fundraising page where people can donate to PETA's lifesaving work for animals in honor of the compassionate birthday girl.

Happy birthday, Miley! We love you!

We all know by now that chaining or tying up dogs outside is cruel and dangerous, right? But if you're thinking that an "invisible fence" is a safe way to give your dog some time outdoors, think again.

Painful, Dangerous, and Bewildering

Like us, dogs are made of flesh and blood and nerve endings, three things that don't mix well with electricity. Invisible fences deliver a painful shock when dogs cross a buried electrical wire. There are collars that do the same thing. Some are controlled by the owner, who keeps a remote-control shocking device handy to be used whenever the owner feels that the dog has misbehaved, while others shock automatically, triggered by barking. Beyond the physical pain and the anticipatory fear that the shocks induce, these devices can injure a dog both physically—from burns to cardiac fibrillation—and psychologically, causing severe anxiety and displaced aggression.

Not understanding why or how they're being hurt, dogs subjected to shock collars and invisible fences may direct their fear or aggression toward what they believe is the source of the shock—which may be passing bicyclists, the mail carrier, or your neighbors' children.

Punished for Coming Home

Has your dog ever recklessly bolted after a squirrel or in a panic at a loud noise? Dogs often run right through invisible fences in the heat of the moment, but to cross back over that line means that they'll get a painful jolt—a prospect that leaves some too scared to return. And even if invisible fences succeed in keeping animals contained within certain boundaries, the nonexistent barrier certainly won't protect them from cruel humans and roaming dogs or other animals who can easily come onto your property.

No dog should live in fear of getting shocked for barking or crossing an invisible line. Real fences and positive training methods in which dogs are rewarded for good behavior are humane and effective. If you want to give your dog a stimulating experience, throw a dog party instead!

Thanksgiving is hell for turkeys. To make sure as many folks get this message as possible, here are three of our best holiday ads. Pick your favorite and share with friends to let them know why they should give turkeys a reason to be thankful, too:

 "Would You Eat Your Dog?"

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"Turkey Terror"

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 "Grace"

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Give everyone—including animals—something to be thankful for this holiday season by celebrating with a vegan feast. 

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.

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.