… and becomes the star attraction. PETA's pig was present for this year's Nathan's International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Brooklyn on the Fourth of July, and the pig's able assistants handed out hundreds of "Think Before You Eat" leaflets in order to educate people about the abuse—such as castration, tooth-clipping, and tail-docking without any anesthetics—suffered by pigs and other animals killed for hot dogs.
 

 
You can be a champ for pigs by forgoing frankfurters and choosing faux footlongs instead.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

How am I just hearing about this? Come on, the first ever veggie dog eating contest, I would have been on a plane to get there faster than the Olsen twins throw up their lunch. Seriously.

The soon to be annual event happened last Saturday in Austin, TX, and the report I got said that over 300 people attended, and 40 contestants devoured some 600+ veggie dogs in about 24 minutes. Not bad, eh? The inaugural World Veggie Hot Dog Eating Champion, at a count of 16 ½ veggie dogs, is Colin "the Tim Duncan of Competitive Eating" Kalmbacher, a vegan.

Full results and photos will be posted here soon. And of course, mad props go out to ilovemikelitt for putting this event on. Fair warning to you, Colin, I’ve already started training for next year. I’m coming for your title. Be afraid. Be very afraid.