Here is sweet Diamond before she received a doghouse from PETA:

And after, with new digs replete with warm straw, fresh water, a grassy new spot to lie in, and a lightweight tie-out:

Wanna make a dog's day?

As usual, the commercial lineup during Super Bowl XLVI featured some real dogs—and we're not just talking about CareerBuilder's tired old re-tread of the "immature chimpanzees" storyline. Yes, the chimpanzees are immature—that's because they're babies who should be with their mothers, not being forced to perform tricks for an ass-backwards company's cruel and unimaginative Super Bowl ad.

As for the dogs, I'm also referring to the actual dogs who appeared in many of this year's Super Bowl ads, including Bud Light's real-life rags-to-riches rescued mutt, Weego, who tirelessly fetches beers every time someone utters Bud's slogan, "Here we go!" "He's a rescue," proclaims Weego's proud guardian, and the ad ends with a plea to visit Bud Light's "Help Rescue Dogs" Facebook page.

We have to throw a penalty flag on Skechers for promoting greyhound racing in its ad featuring a sneakers-clad French bulldog. The ad was trying to be cute, but greyhound racing, with its legions of abandoned, shot, and starved ex-racers, is about as ugly as it gets.

Hyundai fumbled when it used a real cheetah in its ad. Wild animals used for ads often spend most of their lives confined to cages or chains and may be routinely beaten in order to "show them who's boss." Hyundai should have taken a cue from fellow carmaker Kia, whose ad starred a lifelike computer-generated rhinoceros (not to mention a very animated—but not animatronic—Tommy Lee). 

Animatronics and CGI technology are so good that it can be hard to tell the real animals from the robots, which is why there's no excuse for dragging real chimpanzees, cheetahs, or other wildlife onto a sound stage.

Lawmakers who are considering legislation based on the philosophy of the bogus "no-kill" movement should look closely at the disastrous results of California's Hayden Law, as Phyllis M. Daugherty details in the first of a series of articles for Opposing Views about limited-admission ("no-kill") shelters.

Dangerous overcrowding is a common problem at no-kill shelters.

Making Matters Worse

As Daugherty makes clear, the Hayden Law was put together by lawyers and aides with no experience running animal shelters. And it shows: The bill did nothing to curb breeding (the real cause of the animal overpopulation crisis); instead, it took away shelters' ability to make the critical decisions needed to keep the animals healthy by controlling the spread of contagious diseases and to give the most adoptable animals the best chance of finding a home through necessary means, including euthanasia of less adoptable animals.

Under the Hayden Law, shelters couldn't euthanize the animals they took in unless the animals were already to the point of death—even if that meant enduring prolonged suffering from diseases or injuries that made them unlikely prospects for adoption. Fortunately, this constraint was recently suspended but not before wreaking havoc on animals, shelters (along with their staffers and volunteers), and state budgets.

California's animal shelters continue to be required to surrender any animal scheduled for euthanasia—no matter how aggressive or otherwise unadoptable—to any group claiming to be a "rescue" organization upon request, which forces them to continue to house the animals until they are claimed (up to two weeks later) and puts adoptive guardians at risk from animals with a known tendency toward aggressive behavior. Daugherty describes how 20 percent of one animal shelter was occupied by pit bulls awaiting pickup by one such organization, leaving less room for animals who might have had a good chance of adoption but instead were euthanized because of a lack of space.

A Terrible Toll

It is tragic and ironic that the law cheered on by misguided "no-kill" advocates like Nathan Winograd ended up costing animals their lives; Daugherty reports that the North County Times, in an article titled, "Too Close for Comfort: New State Law Is Killing Animals," explained how the law was "increasing the number of animals destroyed and reducing adoptions …"

While this is sad, it isn't really surprising. As Daugherty notes, "no-kill" is a misnomer, since the refusal of limited-admission shelters to accept the responsibility of euthanasia means that they fill up quickly, leaving the turned-away animals to be taken to open-admission shelters (merely shifting the burden of euthanasia) or, worse, to be simply abandoned to face disease, traffic, starvation, predators, and other dangers.

Limited-admission shelters also tend to attract animal hoarders who take in far more animals than they can possibly care for. PETA’s undercover investigation of South Carolina's now-defunct Sacred Vision Animal Sanctuary—which was really just a front for a hoarder—produced evidence that finally prompted authorities to rescue hundreds of caged cats who had been suffering through a living nightmare of constant filth, disease, and injuries.

Avoidance Won't Fix the Problem

We all want to see the number of euthanized animals decreased, but the Hayden Law debacle shows that this goal can't be accomplished just by making it nearly impossible for shelters to use euthanasia to address the current crisis. As one former shelter volunteer explained after visiting a shelter overburdened because of the restrictions imposed by the Hayden Law, "As I passed the kennels, each crammed with too many dogs and puppies, many of them sick or diseased, I was reminded again that euthanasia is not the worst thing that can happen."

To become a truly no-kill nation, we must first become a no-birth nation by mandating spaying and neutering of dogs and cats to stop the flow of unwanted litters into our shelters. If you are concerned about euthanasia, you'll do far more good by adopting a dog from an open-admission shelter or sponsoring a spay/neuter procedure for a cat than by supporting a limited-admission shelter. 

California Gov. Jerry Brown has announced plans to completely repeal the ill-advised Hayden Law, and let's hope he succeeds—for the animals' sake.

After discovering that a family of stray dogs had taken refuge at a vacant property in Texas, a kind-hearted soul contacted the landlord to get permission to go in and remove the seriously ill and injured animals. But when local law-enforcement officials and rescue groups were unable to help—no animal shelter serves the county—the dogs' defender called PETA.

PETA's cruelty caseworker persuaded an animal shelter in a neighboring county to take in the dogs and found someone willing to drive more than an hour to transport the two dogs and five puppies to the animal shelter.

Within minutes of their arrival, however, four of the desperately ill puppies died. And one of the adult dogs—suffering from a severe head injury as a result of having been kicked by a horse—was euthanized. But the fifth puppy pulled through and is being fostered by a shelter staffer, and the other adult dog, who had been suffering from severe mange, has been treated and adopted into a loving home.

How You Can Help Homeless Dogs and Cats

Life for homeless dogs and cats is dangerous and often deadly. Please, if you see stray animals, never look the other way—do whatever you can to get them off the streets and into a safe place.

With our new campaign on Facebook's "Causes" platform, we're aiming to raise $15,000 in January to fund anti-fur protests, distribute literature, buy ad space, and erect billboards to send the message that fur looks best on its original owners.

Despite the decreasing popularity of fur and the plethora of faux looks in stores this year, some backward designers are still trying to stage a resurgence of real fur. But as designers try to push the cruelest of fashions, we're pushing back.

PETA/Manfred Karreman

The Facts on Fur

It's baffling how any clothier with a conscience could ignore the fact that this year alone, more than 2 million animals—including cats and dogs exactly like those we share our homes with—will be shoved into wire cages so tightly that they can't move and be trucked across China to be slaughtered. Some of them will be dead by the time they arrive. They are the lucky ones.

Those who survive will feel their bones break when workers throw the crates around like rag dolls. They may be beaten and stomped on. Or they may have the skin ripped off their bodies while they scream and thrash in pain.

Help End the Fur Trade Now!

You can help stop this cruelty by joining our "Causes" campaign and sharing it on your social-networking sites. And please consider making a lifesaving donation today to help end the fur trade.

When PETA got a call from a worried supporter in Alabama about two dogs tied to a tree who she feared had been abandoned by their owner, we immediately called the police. But when police officers inspected the property, they determined that since the dogs weren't emaciated, they couldn't seize the animals without speaking to the owner first.

The officers left a notice on the door, but for several days they heard nothing from the absentee owner. PETA vigilantly followed up with the police—each time the officers told us that they had heard nothing, and each time we implored them to confiscate the dogs. Meanwhile, our caller cared for the pups, giving them food and water and untangling their tethers when they became so knotted that they could barely move.

Finally, the dogs'owner contacted the police, admitted that he was never home to care for the dogs, and agreed to surrender them. At last, the police collected both dogs and took them to the local animal shelter. It wasn't long before the two friendly animals were adopted by people who did want to care for them. 

These chained, neglected dogs were fortunate that they had an attentive neighbor who made sure that help came before it was too late. Please, if you suspect that an animal is being neglected or abused, don't just hope that someone else will intervene or that the guardian will do the right thing—make sure that the animal gets help by making the call yourself.

Photo of the day

Dog © iStockphoto.com/Steve Goodwin

With Ashly Clark, a Nebraska mother whose two young boys were found locked in a wire kennel during a police welfare check, set to go on trial on January 31, PETA is planning to erect a billboard in her area that reminds people that crating is wrong—for children and dogs. 

Since dogs are highly social pack animals, they find crating or chaining a terrible punishment and it can actually make behavioral problems like barking and hyperactivity worse.

Dogs need to be allowed outside to relieve themselves at least four times a day, whether that means coming home from work at lunchtime, hiring a reputable dog walker, or taking them to a doggie daycare. After all, would you leave a toddler in a cage all day? 

Say "Hi" to Tyson, one of the newest recipients of a custom-built doghouse from PETA, along with lots of straw bedding to help keep out the cold. As you can see from the "before" picture below, he desperately needed it. All four (!) of Tyson's previous (flimsy) "shelters" had broken. But now he has a sturdy, custom-built doghouse for cold, wet winter nights—and since it's built to last, he can count on it for years to come. Tyson's family agreed to have him neutered, so PETA will take care of that too.

Of course, we'd much prefer that everyone allow their dogs indoors—and PETA's Community Animal Project caseworkers have persuaded many animals' guardians to do just that. But since some people refuse—and since many localities still don't prohibit chaining dogs—PETA builds and delivers hundreds of rugged doghouses each year to provide dogs with protection from snow, wind, and rain. In the winter, PETA also gives away free bales of straw for cold dogs forced to live outdoors in the Hampton Roads area in Virginia.

You can change a life like Tyson's. If you know of any "outdoor dogs," try to persuade their guardians to allow them indoors. Encourage your city or county legislators to ban chaining. And if you can, sponsor a doghouse so that one more dog will have a refuge from the cold.

When a police officer asks you to do something, it’s generally a good idea to comply. And when a police officer asks you to help animals, well that’s a no-brainer! The Virginia Beach Police Department was routinely fielding calls in certain low-income neighborhoods about animals getting sick because they weren’t vaccinated or shivering outdoors with little to no shelter from the elements. The police asked PETA and the Virginia Beach SPCA if we could all work together one weekend and help. Did we ever.

PETA rolled out our new mobile clinic and altered nearly 30 dogs and cats. We also handed out bundle after bundle of straw bedding for outdoor dogs, so that they could at least have a warm place to lie down, and signed their families up for our free doghouse delivery program. The VBSPCA offered free rabies and distemper shots for animals who had already been spayed and neutered, administering a whopping 250 vaccinations.

Aside from the danger of some animals being arrested for excessive cuteness, the day was a huge success. Said PETA vice president Daphna Nachminovitch, “We'd like to see this example of teamwork to help stop animal suffering emulated in cities across the country."

Megan Park, the star of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, has great fashion sense both on- and off-screen. So, of course, she never wears fur, as she makes crystal clear in a new anti-fur ad for PETA.

Before she was an American teenager, Megan was growing up in Canada and was appalled by the Canadian seal slaughter. With her beau, musician Tyler Hilton, by her side, she chose to reveal her stunning new ad in her native country so that she could encourage fans on both sides of the border to keep fur where it belongs—on animals.

"These animals are skinned alive and kept in small little cages. It's just awful, awful treatment, and there's no reason for it," she says.

Megan and an adorable rescued pup named Tyson remind people that Chinese fur farms often sell dog and cat fur labeled as something else, so if you buy fur, there's no way to know whose skin you're really wearing.

Click here to see the behind-the-scenes video from Megan's photo shoot and join her in getting the secret out: If you wouldn't wear your dog, you shouldn't wear any fur.