Raise your barbells to Millennium Partners Sports Club Management, LLC, which is banning glue traps from all its locations nationwide.

After talks with PETA, Millennium learned how glue traps cause their victims a slow, agonizing death. Because the animals get stuck but aren't killed, they struggle to free themselves, often ripping off fur, skin, or feathers in the process. They may also chew off their own limbs to try to escape. Animals may languish for days before finally succumbing to starvation, dehydration, exhaustion, or injuries. And glue traps don't discriminate—birds, companion animals, and even small children can be harmed by them.

Presented with that information, Millennium agreed that glue traps had about as much business being in their gyms as a triple cheeseburger—and neither one will be making it through the door.

Make sure that neither gets through your door, either, with a humane "smart" mousetrap (and a veggie burger, of course). 

It's probably not too often that a first-date conversation turns to a discussion on various types of mousetraps, but that's exactly what happened to me.

When I met my boyfriend, he was in hot pursuit of a mouse who was taste-testing her way through his cabinets. He said he was trying to catch her in a snap trap and wasn't having any luck. He even surmised that the mouse was so crafty that she was not only avoiding the trap but also periodically dancing a little jig around it while pointing and laughing hysterically. (I maintain that the mouse was too smart for that antiquated trap.) So there we were on our first date talking about how the snap trap could injure his dog, may not kill the mouse (at least not instantly), and could make a big mess, and somewhere between the salad and the risotto, he agreed to give my Humane Smart Mousetrap a try.

Soon after, we met for date number two so that we could institute Operation Mouse Catch. A few days, a few dates, and a few dabs of peanut butter later, the mousier Jesse James was in custody:

We took her mug shot and promptly let her go in the yard. And contrary to his misgivings, her cabinet renegade days seem to be over. Since then, our dates have become a little more normal, and as for the mousetrap that started it all, my boyfriend's parents have decided to try it out for themselves to nab their own miniature house guest. And I did a little reading on mice. Turns out, they're a lot like us: They love to learn new things, they're very social, and they are loving companion animals.

October is Rodent Prevention Month. As we've learned, the best way to keep from having unwanted visitors is to store food in chew-proof plastic containers, keep trash in lidded cans, and seal off any possible entry points. Just focusing on killing a mouse or rat who comes indoors won't work because if the area is still appealing and accessible, another animal will simply take the first one's place.

And many rodent traps are not only ineffective but also cruel. Animals snared in glue traps, for instance, may languish for days before finally dying of starvation or dehydration. During that time, the animals' skin, fur, or feathers may be ripped off as he or she struggles to escape. And like most "kill traps" and rodent poisons, glue traps don't discriminate: Dogs, cats, other nontarget animals—and even small children—can be harmed by them.

This Rodent Prevention Month, show mice and rats some love with a Humane Smart Mousetrap. You never know where it might lead.

As the nights get chilly, the thought of passing the evenings with friends and family in a nice, warm house sounds delightful … to mice. Like humans, mice are social animals who enjoy each other's company, and while you might not be so eager to enjoy theirs, you might have a little more respect for them after reading these fascinating mouse tidbits:

• Male mice compose complex, ultrasonic songs as part of their courtship rituals.
• Having wooed and won a partner, male California mice stay with her to help with the birth and first cleaning of the pups.
• Mice are smart. Wood mice make signposts out of leaves and twigs. And if there's a flood, a mouse might hitch a ride on a frog.
• Mice are clean and fastidious animals. They designate separate areas of their homes to use as dining rooms and bathrooms. 

If—despite their charm—you still don't care to share your home with mice, the best way to keep them out of your humble abode is to prevent them from getting inside in the first place. Seal mouse-size holes (mice can enter a hole the size of a dime), keep food in sealed containers, always clean up crumbs right away, and use safe, homemade deterrents like peppermint-soaked cotton balls. If you already have unwanted mouseguests, never use cruel glue traps, which leave the animals to suffer slow deaths from suffocation or dehydration. Instead, pick up a few humane mousetraps and set the mice free outdoors.

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

I bet it made your Monday to read how one determined woman helped countless small animals by convincing Gelson's to pull glue traps from its stores' shelves. (Really, how dang adorable is the mouse in that post? I could stare at her all day.)

Let us make your Friday too. Check out this year's ever-growing list of companies, businesses, and agencies that have pledged to not use gruesome glue traps ever again, all because of the hard work of PETA and our supporters:

• Notables at the Party Store: Lexington, Kentucky
• AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) software company: Austin, Texas
• Central Technical School: Toronto, Ontario
• Manhattan building owners Richard and Hilde Basch: New York City
• USPS facility: Baltimore, Maryland
• JPMorgan Chase banks
• American Eagle Outfitters stores
• Virginia Beach School District: Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Knox County School District: Knox County, Tennessee
• Carroll County School District: Carroll County, Maryland
• Princeton School District: Princeton County, New Jersey
• Fashion Institute of Technology: New York City
• Lanterman Developmental Center: Costa Mesa, Orange County, California
• Ireland's Four Provinces Restaurant: Falls Church, Fairfax County, Virginia
• Local restaurant: Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, Florida
• Lowe's: West Jordon, Salt Lake County, Utah (This store stopped using glue traps to catch birds—now if only the chain would stopping selling the traps as well.)
• Circle Center Mall: Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana (birds)
• United States Postal Service: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky (birds)

And we're waiting for the final word from the following:

• Costco: Gaithersburg, Maryland
• L.A. Unified School District: Los Angeles County, California

I'm sure there are many more establishments that we haven't heard about. Make PETA Files readers' week by leaving a comment below about any businesses you know that have sworn off glue traps.

Written by Karin Bennett