What do a tweet, a toy, and a Toyota have in common? They can all be used to help animals! Hey, times are tough, and while lots of people may be in the giving spirit at this time of year, their wallets may not be feeling quite so generous. With that in mind, we've thought of some great ways that anyone can give to animals simply by donating time—or an old car!

• Post one animal rights message to your Facebook or Twitter account each week.
• Support PETA's work for animals by donating your car, truck, boat, motorcycle, airplane, or motor home, even if it's not running! Giving through the "Cars for PETA" program is a simple process that will save you the hassle of selling an old vehicle, give you a year-end tax write-off, and, best of all, help animals.
• Give the toys and treats that your animal companions don't like to your local animal shelter. Or make tug toys for the dogs there out of old clothes, and use old blankets to cover small pillows for the cats to sleep on. And, of course, animal shelters always welcome your old towels and blankets.
• Offer to play with a lonely, chained dog in your neighborhood and take him or her for walks.
• Join PETA's Action Team for opportunities to send e-mails, distribute fliers, or join a demonstration.

Happy holidays from PETA!

In a rare case of legal protection for a rat, a Denver woman has pleaded guilty to a cruelty-to-animals charge for torturing and killing a rat. Tashaya Abbott and Alison Milke bought a rat from a pet store to feed live to a snake, but the snake did not eat the animal for four days—during which time the terrified rodent was confined to a tank with the snake. So the young women reportedly electroshocked, shot with blow darts multiple times, and finally crushed the rat to death. Evidently thinking that this animal's horrific suffering and death were something to laugh about, Milke posted a photo of the rat to her Facebook page and boasted about the crime that they had committed.

A PETA supporter alerted us, and we immediately notified law enforcement and pushed for the women to be prosecuted.

The judge ordered Abbott to pay a $125 fine and complete 50 hours of community service and banned her from owning any animals for a year. There is still an outstanding warrant for Milke, who is believed to be in Florida now, and PETA is pushing hard for her prosecution as well.

If you spot any evidence of potential animal abuse on social-networking sites, contact PETA right away, and we will work to have the offenders prosecuted.

This poor mother dog was so emaciated that she barely had the strength to nurse her six puppies. She was confined to a bare wooden box located behind a pizza parlor and was weighted down with a heavy chain.

After a member of Hoovers Hause All Dog Rescue spotted one of the pups wandering near the busy street beside the restaurant, she soon discovered the mother dog and called the sheriff's department. But catch this: Law enforcement gave the owner two to three weeks to put weight on the mother dog. Hoovers Hause All Dog Rescue had a better idea—the group posted pictures of the dogs on Facebook and asked people to get the sheriff's department to act now.

When a PETA supporter alerted us to the situation, we asked the poster to try to persuade the owner to give the dogs over to her. Bingo! All the dogs were whisked off to a veterinarian (likely the first time the mother dog had ever received medical care). The rescue group paid for the mother dog's heartworm treatment and agreed to care for her and her puppies while screening potential adopters.

The owner had told police that the mother dog was so thin because she had been poisoned, but with simple helpings of good food, this lucky rescued girl has already gained 8 pounds. PETA is now urging officials to pursue cruelty charges.

If you see anything on social-networking sites that suggests an animal could be in danger, please contact authorities—and, if they are unresponsive, call PETA.

Update: The people have spoken, and the new word cloud is here!

 If you could prevent animal suffering with just one word, would you? PETA is creating our own word cloud that will encourage Facebook and Twitter users to join the cause and help us end cruelty to animals, and we need your help deciding what the cloud should say.

Simply tweet a word that you think describes PETA and would motivate others to get involved, and use the hashtag #PETACloud. We'll choose the most inspiring words to create our cloud, which you can share with your friends. Not yet a PETA pal? "Like" or follow us for up-to-the-minute animal news, contests, and action alerts.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

What's the best way to share your cat's reaction to a bird at the window or your dog's I-see-a-treat-coming happy dance? A recent survey found that more than half of U.K. companion-animal guardians share photos and videos of their four-legged family members online and that one out of every 10 companion animals has a Facebook page, Twitter account, or YouTube channel.

Considering how much U.K. animal guardians like online sharing, we wonder how many pooches and pussycats on this side of the pond are posting from the back of the sofa, tweeting from the dog park, and updating their statuses to "in a committed relationship with my Frisbee."

Cartoon chimpanzees are getting animated over on CareerBuilder's Facebook page, and we think you should join them! CareerBuilder aired a Super Bowl ad in which it once again exploited chimpanzees in order to make the point that … wait, what point was it making? That it can find jobs for chimpanzees?

Anyway, the message we heard is that CareerBuilder is determined to keep using ape "actors" in its ads, despite the fact that the chimpanzees are stolen from their mothers as babies, threatened and beaten to make them perform, and shoved into small, filthy cages when they aren't out earning money for their trainers.

We want to show CareerBuilder how these apes feel about its cruel ads. You can join in the fun by posting comments on the company's Facebook page about how awful it is to be abused by CareerBuilder. We can't wait to see what you come up with.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Showing the world that you're compassionate toward animals is easier than ever with PETA's purple ribbon. Today we reached our goal of 100,000 postings of the ribbon on Facebook, thanks to you, our ever-helpful supporters. By reposting this ribbon, you're telling friends and family that animal abuse will not be tolerated and that public awareness of animal issues is growing.

Now that's something to be proud of.  Let's keep this momentum going. Who knows? Perhaps a new record will be reached, which could only mean more good news for animals.

Written by Christine Becknell

Jesse Eisenberg, the critically acclaimed star of The Social Network, isn't just known for his comedic wit and acting chops. The newly minted vegetarian and reigning "Sexiest Geek Alive" is also a foster parent to homeless cats. All together, girls: aaaaaaaaaaaaw.

During a recent appearance on Conan, Jesse said, "I have two [cats] now, but I'm on a list where they can deliver them to the house. To be a foster parent for cats is basically to have tenants coming in and out. I have a lot of cats, a lot of cat food, a lot of litter—and nothing else in the apartment."

To borrow a familiar Facebook term, we definitely "like" it.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

What's the latest must-have application for compassionate online activists? PETA's Purple Ribbon, of course! With the click of a mouse, you can fight cruelty to animals by posting our Purple Ribbon to your Facebook wall and asking your friends to post it too.

We're fewer than 40,000 likes away from the 1 million mark, and with the help of this ribbon, we might just reach our goal. The more likes we have, the more people we can reach. The more people we can reach, the more animals' lives we can save. So how 'bout it, Facebook friends—will you help spread compassion?

Written by Michelle Sherrow

What happens when an animal rights activist armed with a video camera goes into fur salons and tells the employees that animals are sometimes skinned alive for their fur? Watch this video to find out:

For the impatient among you, fast-forward to 5:20 to see the, ahem, fur really start to fly.

If you haven't already done so, post a link to PETA's Chinese fur farm investigation footage (the impetus for the fur salon ambush) on your Facebook page. 'Tis the season for giving people a reason to scratch fur off their Christmas lists.

Written by Alisa Mullins