Written by PETA
This week, West Hollywood may become the first city in the country to ban the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores, potentially dealing a major blow to puppy mills, where constant confinement and a lack of adequate veterinary care and socialization often lead animals to become unhealthy and difficult to socialize. In a world in which U.S. animal shelters must put 3 to 4 million dogs and cats to death every year because of the overpopulation crisis, this ordinance would remind residents that adoption is the only responsible choice for people who are looking to welcome companion animals into their homes.
With its history of pioneering animal rights legislation and its influential role as a cultural and political trendsetter, West Hollywood is poised to lead the movement against pet stores and puppy mills. But you don't have to wait for WeHo to make its move. Urge your local legislators to end the exploitation of cats and dogs in your own community immediately.
Written by Logan Scherer
Believe me, if anyone can appreciate the thrill of the hunt, c'est moi. Seriously, I can spend hours in a Goodwill store, tracking rare vintage vinyl and bagging unique treasures.
But if you want a surefire way to ruffle my feathers, show me a man with a gun setting out with his canine buddy to maim and kill ducks. Now tell me that said dog shot the hunter in his back, sending him to the hospital—which is what happened to one California man this weekend—and I can't help but hope that the hunter, once he recovers, will have a change of heart and find a more constructive way to spend his weekends.
Written by Karin Bennett
Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated the promised release of Robert—the tabby who was purchased by the University of Utah (the U) for $15 from the Davis County Animal Shelter and used in a cruel experiment in which his skull was cut open and electrodes were implanted in his brain. Robert has been adopted into a new home, but the majority of the 105 dogs and cats who were purchased from Davis County Animal Control last year remain caged in the U's labs and won't be given the same chance.
In the two months since we first released footage of our undercover investigation inside the U, PETA has repeatedly attempted to obtain documents related to the purchase of animals like Robert, but county officials have failed to cooperate, in what appears to be a violation of the state's Government Records Access and Management Act. So this morning, PETA filed a lawsuit against the county demanding access to these documents, which will shed more light on Davis County's betrayal of both animals and community members who are unaware that the beloved companions they surrender may be mutilated and killed in laboratories.
Today, PETA is also launching a new video called "Betrayal of Trust," which reveals the plight of some of the dogs and cats whom the U purchased from local animal shelters for its cruel and deadly experiments. The video contains footage from inside the Davis County Animal Shelter and the U's animal laboratories, including a clip of Lady, a friendly German shepherd whom the U purchased from the shelter for $20. Experimenters cut open her neck and implanted a medical device for a heart experiment. At the end of the experiment, Lady will be killed and "go to the dump," as one vet tech in our new video explains.
PETA's working overtime to ensure that shelter animals will no longer be betrayed by Davis County and the University of Utah. Please take just a few moments to help by contacting the school and demanding an end to this shameful practice.
I ♥ Target. In addition to the mega-retailer carrying cruelty-free cosmetics and stylish, skin-free kicks, Target recently made the decision to save the lives of hundreds of frogs.
When PETA found out that Target was selling a miniature aquarium called "Planet Frog"—a tiny, plastic prison that's very similar to Brookstone's "Frog-O-Sphere"—we reached out to the corporation's execs. We told them that biologists and wildlife specialists believe the mini-aquariums are cruel and inadequate for frogs and can be hazardous to children's health, exposing them to diseases such as salmonellosis, sparganosis, and psittacosis. We also pointed out an alarming stat: Since May 2009, at least 85 people from 31 states have become ill after exposure to water frogs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Hmm … National retailers start selling frogs in tiny tanks. People all across the country get sick from exposure to water frogs. Coinkidink? Methinks not.)
We asked Target to stop selling "Planet Frog," and they agreed to do just that—easy peasy. No need to send out the troops, call on our celebrity friends, or launch a letter-writing campaign.
Brookstone execs could learn a lot from Target about how make a responsible, compassionate decision without weeks of hand-wringing. Will you ask them to follow Target's lead?
For two years, we've been protesting the U.S. government's declaration of war on animals. The military abuses thousands of healthy animals in trauma training exercises, even though superior non-animal methods are available. In these exercises, pigs are shot, stabbed, and burned; goats have their legs broken with bolt cutters and cut off with shears; and monkeys are poisoned with toxic chemicals.
Now, U.S. Representative Bob Filner (D-Calif.) has joined the effort to replace the cruel and crude use of animals in military medical training by introducing the BEST Practices Act (H.R. 4269). This act, if passed, would replace the current deadly use of live animals with sophisticated, human-focused training methods, such as high-tech human patient simulators, that better prepare soldiers to treat their fallen comrades on the battlefield.
This week, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is leading Citizen Lobbyist Week, encouraging people across the country to back the BEST Practices Act and speak out in behalf of the pigs, goats, and monkeys who are tormented on military bases. You can take action by asking your congressional representative to support the bill. Get out your pleather boots, soldiers—here's to no more animal casualties!
Pop quiz:
If you answered A without checking out the Wiki page, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you already read about the man in Leeds, England, who was cleaning his tarantula's tank when he was shot in the face with urticating hairs early last year. The incident left the man with a red, watery, and light-sensitive eye for months, and now doctors are urging people to wear eye protection when handling their spiders.
We've got even better advice: Never buy tarantulas or any other exotic animals in the first place. Tarantulas and other animals such as hedgehogs, lizards, and macaws who are purchased as pets suffer from the overwhelming stress of unnatural confinement and loneliness, so it's no surprise that they often lash out at owners who are usually unaware of their complex needs. Tarantulas are highly intelligent animals who build tented shelters, and they're compassionate—mother tarantulas are known to starve themselves so that their offspring can eat. They shouldn't have to spend their lives trapped in tanks.
If you're looking for an animal companion, visit your local animal shelter—and if you ever run into an eight-legged friend around the house, catch him or her humanely.
It's official: Michelle Obama is the most fascinating person of the year. In her interview with Barbara Walters, the fabulously fur-free first lady chatted about her goals, her arms, and her guilty pleasures—and she gushed over her adorable son!
Sasha, check. Malia, check. … Wait, you didn't know she had a son? Find out who the lucky guy is after the jump.
Vegetarian George Lopez star Constance Marie and too-cute-for-words Luna sure know how to break out the bibbly:
Marie and her daughter (and my quarter-life crisis) have got me thinking—bibs and onesies for everyone! Seriously, don't we all get a little messy when we eat?
Victory Update: Following a national PETA campaign against Brookstone's sale of Frog-O-Spheres —tiny plastic boxes containing two African dwarf frogs—the retailer has discontinued the sale of these little frog prisons in its stores. Learn more about this victory for frogs.
Since we announced the disturbing findings of our recent undercover investigation inside Wild Creations—the supplier of frogs for Brookstone's Frog-O-Spheres—we've seen Wild Creations shut down its Facebook page in less than a day (that's got to be some kind of record!), and thousands of people have taken action to get Brookstone to stop selling Frog-O-Spheres forever.
Here are five simple, sure-to-be-successful things you can do to help fight Brookstone:
If all our readers take action on the digital, viral, and cellular fronts, we can win this battle. Do your part, and I’ll save you a seat at the victory celebration!
Yesterday, attorneys working on behalf of PETA and two plaintiffs won a lawsuit to stop the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) from granting licenses to animal shelters that use cruel gas chambers to kill cats and dogs.
Is that a victory cheer I hear?
You might remember our post a couple of years ago about the GDA's refusal to uphold Georgia's 1990 Humane Euthanasia Act, which banned the use of gas chambers by most animal shelters. Well, thanks to the hard work of attorneys with the law firm Schiff Hardin LLP, a permanent injunction was entered against the GDA's practice of approving and encouraging the illegal use of gas chambers. That's right—the very institution that was supposed to be upholding the law was breaking it. And it's been busted. Now, counties in Georgia with a population of 25,000 or more must provide animals with the best form of euthanasia available: intravenous injections of sodium pentobarbital.
We are still waiting with fingers crossed to see if Georgia's bill to ban all gas chambers permanently has made its way to the Senate. But for now, we are throwing a little victory celebration for all the shelter animals who will be spared a cruel death thanks to this courtroom victory.
Written by Shawna Flavell
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
Follow PETA on Twitter!