When PETA suffered a "van down" earlier this year, longtime President's Circle members Adam and Leni Sender stepped up to the plate. The Sender family—tireless animal advocates who have opened their home to numerous rescued animals, including a refugee from Hurricane Katrina—donated the money for PETA to buy a new and improved van, and we dedicated the vehicle to the memory of their beloved cat Patti.

The "Patti Wagon" will urge people to save lives by spaying and neutering their animals while it ferries animals in need to and from appointments with PETA's no-cost to low-cost spay-and-neuter clinics. We love the Senders as much as the Senders love animals. Thank you for being the animals' "Spay Santas"!

And the van's namesake? Well, we think Patti would be purrfectly pleased with her mobile memorial.

We all know about "The Twelve Days of Christmas," but what about "The 12 Days of Rickmas"? Ricky Gervais is doing his own take on the classic carol on Twitter. On the first day of Rickmas, you should give your true love your signature on a petition to ban the tiger-skin trade. On the second day of Rickmas, you can give your true love whatever you like, just so long as it isn't anything furry—dead or alive.

What will Ricky recommend next? A ban on foie gras? A donation to an animal rights group? The suspense is like … waiting for Christmas. 

Are crows into Grand Theft Auto? These brainy birds steal windshield wiper blades for reasons known only to themselves, although having fun with them might be the answer.

Ravens seem more interested in studying sign language. Like primates and humans, the birds use gestures to communicate—in this case, pointing with their beaks.

SteveD | cc by 2.0

Octopuses have bird brains (read "big brains") too. Some octopuses in captivity make toys and games out of items in their tanks. Some let the people they like stroke their heads, while a person on an octopus's bad side may get squirted.

Fish enjoy the calming effects of touch, too, but not from people. They will allow small fish who work as full-time cleaners to nibble at their scales even when they don't have parasites because they like the gentle massage.

Dogs, of course, love affection from people, and their devotion to their guardians doesn't usually fade when that guardian passes away. A faithful dog in China refuses to leave his guardian's grave, and the townspeople plan to build a doghouse there for the grieving canine.

After being stolen from his home, held for five years, and then apparently dumped after he developed a medical problem, a precocious pup who loves to travel hopped on a bus. When he was spotted by the driver and taken to a vet, his microchip guaranteed that the next trip he took was back home to his family.

Another clever canine is a hero after she grabbed a bag of kittens someone had tossed onto the highway, pulled it off the road, dragged it home, and cried until her guardian opened it.

Resourceful deer, raccoons, blue herons, and other animals have figured out how to safely cross the road (without instructions from chickens).

Last night's episode of All-American Muslim caused many viewers to have an all-American meltdown.

One of the show's "stars," Shadia Amen-McDermott, cited allergies and insisted that her husband, Jeff McDermott, get rid of his elderly dog, Wrigley. When the cameras recorded a sad and confused Wrigley trying to follow his beloved guardians after they dropped him off at his new home, the Twitterverse exploded with cries for the couple to take back the dog and for viewers to boycott TLC until they did.

PETA supporter and Running Russell Simmons star Simone Reyes posted an online letter to Amen-McDermott beseeching her to do the right thing.

PETA is getting into the fray by offering TLC a public service announcement highlighting how Islam teaches compassion for animals and abstention from cruelty. The timing couldn't be better, since Lowe's pulled all its ads from the show amidst controversy over the show's Muslim theme. We're hoping that TLC can find a place for our poignant message.

And we hope that the Amen-McDermott household can find a place in their hearts for Wrigley. After devoting his life to Jeff, the last thing Wrigley deserves is to spend his golden years feeling rejected.

Hanukkah is almost here, and you know what that means: good food, festive gatherings with family and friends … and eight days of presents! PETA's animal-friendly gift ideas will keep you going for all eight days of Hanukkah celebrations:

• Guilt-Free Gelt: The holidays will be much sweeter with dark-chocolate vegan gelt from Pangea Vegan Products. For more sophisticated tastes, try Harbor Candy Shop's festive sampler box of decadent and divine gourmet vegan chocolates.

• I Have a Little Dreidel: I made it out of … marshmallows? Sweet & Sara's chocolate-dipped vegan marshmallows in three festive shapes—the Star of David, a dreidel, and a menorah—will have everyone singing "The Dreidel Song."

• Jelly Doughnuts Redux: With 250 recipes, Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's Veganomicon is the only cookbook that you'll ever need. Whip up a batch of their Jelly Donut Cupcakes for a modern twist on the Hanukkah potluck favorite: jelly doughnuts.

• A Scentsational Gift: Bring a smile to your sweetie's face with A Scent of Scandal's holiday-themed soy candles in tongue-in-cheek scents such as Challahback Girl (challah bread) and Hanukkah Bush (fir tree).

• Not Your Bubbe's Fur: A luxe, looks-like-the-real-thing faux-fur scarf or hat will keep your loved ones cozy and cruelty-free all winter long.

• Tee Time: From PETA's "Test Tubes, Not Bunnies" T-shirt to this clever "veggie menorah" design (featuring pea pods, carrots, and red peppers in place of candles), there are countless ways to get animal-friendly messages out there—and look great doing it!

• Gifts for Four-Legged Friends: Don't forget to wish your animal friends a happy Hanukkah, too, with PETA's cat and dog gift sets.

• Gifts for All Animal Lovers: Spread some cheer (and compassion) by choosing a "virtual gift"—such as a toy for a neglected dog or a spay or neuter surgery—at PETAPresents.org. PETA will send your recipient a beautiful e-card thanking him or her for helping animals.

For more Hanukkah gift ideas, visit PETACatalog.com.

The turdoggie hybrid we rolled out on billboards just in time for Thanksgiving proved so popular that we decided to return to the laboratory and craft a new creation for Christmas—the puplet:

Dog: © iStockphoto.com/Angelika Schwarz • Pig: © iStockphoto.com/Clint Scholz

Pigs are a lot more like dogs than you might think. Piglets and puppies both love to play and have their ears scratched, and they can easily master skills like sit, fetch, and jump. When in their natural surroundings—not on factory farms—pigs are social, playful, protective animals who bond with each other, make nests, relax in the sun, and cool off in the mud. Pigs are known to dream and recognize their own names, and they are thought to be more intelligent than 3-year-old human children. And just like kids—and dogs—pigs don't want to be eaten.

To celebrate a compassionate Christmas, keep the ham off the table and whip up a pig-friendly feast with the holiday recipes available on our "Living" page.

Making up songs about my cat, Wellington, set to holiday jingles is one of the season's great joys. ("Wellie, the Pink-Nosed Kitty" is a big hit at parties.) The best thing that we can do for our animal companions this holiday season, though, is to keep them safe. Here are some tips:

Cats are wonderful, but they don't make great gifts. And please always remember to spay and neuter.

• Keep tinsel, ribbons, and ornament hooks away from prying paws. If you see ribbon or tinsel hanging from your animal's mouth, call the veterinarian, pronto. Never pull it out—it can cut their intestines.
• Make sure that guests and kids don't share unapproved holiday treats with animals. Chocolate and some nuts are toxic to dogs, and even seemingly harmless foods such as onions, raisins, and grapes can cause severe reactions in dogs and cats.
• Plants such as holly, mistletoe, and lilies are pretty to look at, but they can make animals sick or even kill them if eaten. Keep plants well out of animals' reach—or better yet, choose other types of plants.
• The comings and goings of guests provide opportunities for animals to slip out of the house. Have your animals microchipped (at your veterinarian's office or an animal shelter), and make sure that they wear collars and I.D. tags while guests are in the house, just in case.
• Save the phone numbers of your veterinarian and the nearest emergency vet in your cell phone so that you're always prepared for unexpected mishaps.
• Holidays can be hectic, but be sure not to overlook your animal companions' needs for regular walks and playtime.
• Share the holiday spirit of giving with your animals by getting them a dog or cat gift set—they also make great stocking stuffers for the other animals in your life.

Happy holidays to you and your furry friends!

© Audrey Coleman

Pusuke, who held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living dog, died in Japan on December 5, 2011. He was 26 years and 9 months old. He was also a mutt. Coincidence? Not likely.

Mixed-breed dogs like Pusuke tend to be healthier than their "purebred" cousins, because purebreds are often inbred and bred for certain unnatural and exaggerated physical traits. These harmful practices cause many purebred animals to suffer painful and life-threatening genetic defects, including crippling hip dysplasia, blindness, deafness, heart defects, skin problems, epilepsy, and others.

Ready to give an animal a long, happy life? Increase the odds that your animal companion will be part of your family for many, many years and save a life by adopting a lovable, healthy mutt from your local animal shelter.

After hearing the story of Lynn Jones, a baggage handler who, appallingly, was fired for protecting a suffering dog, we decided to do what her employer should have done—give her an award.

Jones was working at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada when she spotted an emaciated dog inside a carrier in the cargo area who was covered with sores. The animal's paws were raw and bloody, and he was too weak to stand. Jones doubted that he would survive the flight.

She refused to give in to her supervisor's demands that she load the suffering animal onto a plane until, finally, airport police called animal control, which arranged for the dog to receive veterinary care. The animal was eventually transported to his original destination, much to the dismay of Jones, who said she would have been happy to adopt the dog.

"I wouldn't have traded that job for anything," Jones said "I wouldn't have risked it for anything. But I just couldn't turn my back on that dog. ... My supervisor said it wasn't my concern, but animal abuse is everyone's concern who sees it."

Apparently shamed by the international attention Jones' story has garnered, her employer has now reportedly reconsidered and offered Jones her job back. We'd say a new policy regarding the transport of obviously sick and injured animals would be in order as well. Call it "Lynn's Law."

Fed up with people who refuse to spay and neuter their animals, people who want someone to wave a magic wand and find a home for their "eight-year-old Rottweiler [who] spent his entire life chained to a tree," and people who allow their dogs to run loose, leaving others to scoop up "Scooby with a plastic bag," a frustrated animal control officer posted an off-the-hook "I quit!" rant on Craigslist that's going viral.

"I wish to god that there was a mandatory spay/neuter law and that the penalty for breaking it was to be forced to spend a day working in the euthanasia room," writes the shell-shocked shelter worker. "Every dog or cat you carelessly add into this world takes away a home for a dog or cat that is already here. So breeding means killing … so have a good day, executioners! I hope the 50 bucks you made off that puppy sure feels good."

The ex-ACO goes on to explain that there's no such thing as a "no-kill" shelter.

Don't send another animal control officer over the edge: Always spay or neuter your dogs and cats and urge your friends, relatives, and neighbors to do the same. Support your local open-admission shelter by volunteering to clean the cages, walk the dogs, and play with the cats. And give a hardworking shelter worker a hug.