A driver in Alabama spotted Laura the chicken and scooped her up off the road on a route frequently used by trucks headed to the nearby slaughterhouse. Then, in an attempt to find her a home, she unwisely posted an ad for a free chicken on Craigslist. Laura could have ended up as chicken soup! Fortunately, a vegetarian PETA supporter spotted the listing and offered to take in the bird until PETA could find a permanent home for her. Now a chicken who was once bound for slaughter is saving other chickens by convincing people to give up meat for good. It happens whenever people get to know her.

In her foster home, Laura played in the yard, cooed while getting a bath, cuddled with her foster parents, and got to feel grass under her feet probably for the first time in her life. Laura's foster mom's mother even became so attached to her that she went vegetarian too!

Now, in her permanent home, Laura soaks up the attention that she invariably attracts when her adopter takes her out on walks around the neighborhood. Laura sticks close to her new family, especially her adopter's child, with whom she loves to nap.

If you're ready to stop eating devoted, social, inquisitive chickens like Laura, try PETA's Pledge to Be Vegan for 30 Days. We think you'll be hooked! 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Did you watch the big game yesterday? No, not the one with guys running around in yellow pants. I'm talking about Puppy Bowl VII, in which pups who are up for adoption at shelters and rescue groups battle it out on a minigridiron to score "puppy touchdowns" with a plush football. OK, so there may have been more sniffing than scoring going on at the Puppy Bowl, but no one can deny that these adoptable pups are all MVPs (most valuable puppies)!

Thanks, Animal Planet, for helping to get the word out that homeless animals are eager to be "drafted" into loving homes.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

What is the number-one thing that you need to know about hilarious hottie Bradley Cooper?

I'll give you a hint: His steely blues and that off-kilter smile don't have anything to do with it.

theinsider / CC

"I have two beautiful dogs … I cherish. Samson is a 14-year-old German short hair pointer and Charlotte is a 6 or 7 year-old Chow Retriever mix. They are both rescue dogs and they are the best … I'm sort of a hybrid of both my dogs. Samson is stoic and makes me earn it and Charlotte loves me undyingly. They're my kids."

There are four other "must know" items on People.com, but learning that the star of The Hangover is making room in his heart and his home for a few of the 8 million dogs and cats who are abandoned at animal shelters each year is more than enough to make this gal swoon.

Written by Shawna Flavell