Written by Michelle Sherrow
We all know how easy it is for vegans to dine out, with options popping up everywhere from five-star resorts to Chipotle. But people who are just coming around to the vegan way of eating or are thinking about making the switch could probably use some helpful hints about which restaurant dishes are vegan or could easily be made so.
Enter foursquare, an app for iPhone, Android, and more that allows users to "check in" when they are at restaurants or other public places and leave helpful comments.
How can you use foursquare to help animals? Simply share vegan tips with prospective patrons—comments such as "The vegan chicken fajitas rock" or "The faux-sausage and vegan-cheese pizza is awesome."
Got a good recommendation? Then share it!
It's easy. Just check in on the restaurant's foursquare page:
Leave your tips:
And other users can see your tip when they check in:
It's handy for seasoned vegans, too, when we're traveling or just trying out a new restaurant. And if you check in at your favorite place often enough, you can become the "mayor" of the venue on foursquare. Some restaurants give discounts and freebies to their mayors. Who doesn't love free food?
Did you share a foursquare tip? Let us know by sharing your link in the comments below.
Fresh off a stint asking politicians to "cut the pork" out of the federal budget, PETA's plucky "pig" asked attendees of Iowa's Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival not to cut the pork off pigs' bodies.
When the "pig" implored, "I am not bacon," the fans of fried fat stopped to listen and take our leaflets. I guess all that bacon grease hasn't ruined their hearts yet.
Written by Jeff Mackey
The length of the current economic downturn has taken its toll both on people—many of whom are struggling to find housing and jobs—and on the animals who depend on them. As a result, animal shelters are receiving record numbers of abandoned animals, stretching their already limited resources to capacity.
Overcrowding at a limited admission (no-kill) shelter
These problems are intensified by the animal overpopulation crisis, which, even in a strong economy, causes many animal shelters to struggle with the burden of homeless and unwanted animals. Unlike complicated fiscal policy, though, the solution to this problem is simple—by implementing and enforcing mandatory spay-and-neuter laws, communities can reduce animal populations to manageable levels, ensuring that every animal can be cared for. PETA not only is working to promote the passage of such legislation but also operates several mobile spay-and-neuter clinics, sterilizing 10,564 animals in 2011 alone and nearly 80,000 to date!
Sadly, at this critical time, many animal shelters are implementing shameful limited-admission (no-kill) policies without first having reduced the number of unwanted animals (though some have now wised up). Many of these animal shelters are betraying animals by adopting guidelines that make the problem much worse, such as requiring appointments and admission fees for people to surrender animals, turning away strays who aren't well socialized because they are not adoptable (even if they're at risk of being harmed by people who consider them a nuisance), forcing people to wait until space opens up to take in any more animals, refusing to accept animals from outside a certain town or region, and giving animals away for free without proper screening.
These horribly misguided practices are a blueprint for disaster. The failure of these limited-admission policies has been proved again and again, as in these stories from 2011:
Companion animals depend on us to take care of them, which is why PETA accepts all animals who need help—without requiring a fee or an appointment—whether they are suffering from a terminal illness that requires euthanasia that their guardians can't afford, were abandoned during a natural disaster, or were injured in Afghanistan and brought stateside by a caring soldier.
Is there an animal shelter that's turning away animals in your community? Find out—and try to ensure that it does what's right to help animals.
Over the last couple of days, we've told you about some of the ways that PETA worked in 2011 to end the suffering of animals in its own "backyard"—southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. PETA staffers are in the field every day working with guardians and local authorities, delivering doghouses and straw, providing transport to our clinics for spay/neuter procedures and other veterinary care, and much more.
On Friday, you may have read about many of the animals whose lives and futures were made brighter by PETA's fieldworkers, which is always what we hope for. But since PETA's hands-on work focuses on finding and helping the most abused, neglected, and underserved animals—those whose years of illness, injury, deprivation, exposure, and isolation typically make rehabilitation and adoption into a loving and responsible home impossible—offering love, kindness, and a peaceful release from suffering is sometimes the kindest option possible.
The following are a few of the animals PETA helped in 2011, along with information about how you can help us prevent more animals from suffering from neglect and abuse (warning—graphic images):
An elderly couple called us for a doghouse for their dog, DJ. PETA's fieldworker discovered that DJ was not just terribly unsocialized but also had a chain wrapped directly around his neck that had become deeply embedded into his skin as he grew. DJ's guardians had no idea that this had been happening and were shocked to discover his condition. They surrendered DJ to PETA, and he is no longer suffering.
The girlfriend of the person responsible for two dogs, Trixie and Hitler, contacted PETA because Hitler was already dead on her property and Trixie was severely emaciated. A necropsy later confirmed that Hitler had starved to death—the tip of his own tail was found in his stomach. The vet determined that Trixie was about 20 pounds underweight. The animals' guardian signed a contract agreeing not to acquire any more animals.
PETA took in this cat who was suffering from an open wound over his entire back that was teeming with maggots. A local woman had been feeding stray cats in her yard for months but was totally oblivious to this cat's condition.
When little Pokey's family moved away, they simply left this ill puppy in the yard to die. Despite days of intensive treatment and being showered with love, Pokey's condition deteriorated, and her veterinarian said that the most humane option was to give her an immediate release from her suffering.
Turning away cats and dogs like these just to avoid having to euthanize them doesn't help unwanted, suffering, and dying animals. If PETA, like many animal shelters today, cared more about how its statistics look to the public than the well-being of the individual animals who so desperately need help, animals like Pokey would be left to suffer and die in agony instead of being gently relieved of their misery in the soothing embrace of probably the first and only people ever to show them any kindness.
PETA has renewed our call for the National Governors Association to use its influence to end animal homelessness by helping pass mandatory spay and neuter legislation across the country in 2012, requiring dogs and cats to be sterilized unless their owners purchase an annual breeding permit, the cost of which would fund low-cost spay-and-neuter services. Without such laws, animal homelessness and neglect will continue—causing animals like DJ, Trixie, the homeless cat, and Pokey to continue to suffer.
Please join this effort by asking your governor to support strong spay and neuter legislation.
Poignant words on when animals die, sticking it to Ringling and its torture sticks, and a treat for extreme couponers: It's everything you might have missed this week.
PETA's Tumblr page keeps you up to date on all the latest animal news.
PETA's SNIP (Spay and Neuter Immediately, Please!) clinics and Community Animal Project (CAP) are on the job year-round to help animals in need in Virginia and North Carolina—and in 2011, they succeeded again and again in improving the lives of animals and the people who care about them.
SNIP's fleet of mobile spay-and-neuter clinics has "fixed" nearly 80,000 cats and dogs over the past decade—10,564 of them in 2011 alone! In the past year, PETA also helped thousands of guardians keep their animal companions by offering counseling tips, information about animal-friendly housing, and assistance with offering humane care.
Today, we'd like you to meet just a few of the animals whose lives were big-time brightened—and even saved—by CAP and SNIP this past year:
Moose's coat was severely matted, a painful and dangerous condition that can lead to sores and maggot infestations. Moose's family didn't realize how serious matting was and couldn't afford to have the little guy groomed. PETA's fieldworkers spruced him up!
Bailey was suffering from a large mammary tumor that was affecting her ability to walk. PETA's veterinarian successfully removed the tumor, and Bailey was spayed at the same time.
Unlike many pit bulls PETA's fieldworkers meet, Prue lives indoors, but she had already had one litter of unwanted pups. PETA helped prevent more pit bulls from being born by spaying this sweet girl. No more pups for Prue!
Bentley's guardian lives in a very rural area. The closest vet clinic is almost an hour's drive from her house, and she didn't have the $200 that the vet charges for neutering dogs, so PETA took care of Bentley's sterilization, transporting him to and from surgery.
Brownie's guardian is a young single mom with two children. PETA spayed Brownie—who, like Prue, had already had one litter—and provided the family with a leash to walk Brownie (which they now do daily), toys, treats, and a sturdy handmade doghouse, along with warm, dry straw.
Biscuit's guardian took this kitten in as a stray and desperately wanted to keep him but couldn't afford to have him fixed at a vet clinic. If it weren't for PETA, who transported Biscuit to and from his neuter appointment, Biscuit's guardian would have had to surrender him to the local animal shelter.
Please join PETA in calling on elected officials to pass mandatory spay-and-neuter laws in your state, county, and town.
Please also help make sure animals continue to get the help that they so desperately need by making a donation to help keep SNIP's mobile clinics going strong, sponsoring a doghouse (or two) to be built and delivered by CAP, and being ready to help neglected animals in your own community.
Companion-animal neglect and homelessness is a preventable tragedy. By working together, we can end it!
Is Vince Vaughn a valorous vegan? It's sure looking that way. While filming Neighborhood Watch in Atlanta, he ate mostly vegan foods, and his mom bragged about his healthy lifestyle on The Marilyn Denis Show. We sent the funnyman some cookbooks to give him some delicious new meal ideas.
Maybe Vaughn will be the next Phil Collen of Def Leppard—vegetarian for 30 years and proud of it!
Designer Vivienne Westwood also has a lot to be proud of. Not only does she keep fur-bearing animals out of her designs, the newly minted vegetarian also keeps animals off her plate too.
Sexy vegan Jared Leto is a fellow fur foe. Here's what he and other celebs have been buzzing about on Twitter:
The cast members of The Real Housewives of Miami will need to rethink their furry wardrobe choices with animal defender and supermodel Joanna Krupa joining the show.
Photo: www.SebreePhoto.com | Hair and Makeup: Tony Yates | Styling: Joline Towers
Ringling Bros. might have gotten a reprieve from the bullhook ban in Fulton County, Georgia (claiming it can't have elephants without the weapons), for the moment, but The Cruelest Show on Earth couldn't escape the throngs of people who showed up to protest on its opening day.
Armed with a bullhorn, posters, leaflets, a flat-screen TV that showed a video of trainers as they beat elephants with bullhooks, giant inflatable pachyderms, and large, eye-catching pictures of "elephant training," the protesters drew quite a crowd.
The circus … not so much. Word from inside was that it didn't look like many people had bought tickets.
Let's show Ringling that we aren't going to let it get away with skirting the bullhook ban. Urge Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to enforce the ban and make Ringling either stop beating elephants or pack up and leave.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
PETA and other Virginia animal shelters have just submitted to the state the numbers of animals they received, found wonderful homes for, reunited with guardians, had to euthanize, or were able to release back into nature in 2011. Because numbers can't begin to tell each animal's story, let me describe one of those animals: Pepper.
PETA's emergency fieldworkers are on call 24/7 and leap into action even when that means getting up in the middle of the night to drive long distances in response to calls about suffering, abandoned, neglected, and abused animals. Since we refer healthy, highly adoptable animals to traditional, well-trafficked animal shelters, the animals we focus on with our hands-on work are the most abused, neglected, and underserved, usually the "unadoptables."
For months, PETA tried to engage local law-enforcement officials to take action on a monstrous woman who kept a terribly neglected and miserable dog named Pepper, who needed urgent veterinary treatment, penned in her backyard. When PETA found her, Pepper had been languishing in the filthy backyard cage for years and had slowly deteriorated, yet the woman—a nursing assistant—couldn't be bothered to provide her dog with basic vet care and dignity.
Finally, PETA obtained custody of Pepper and whisked her to a veterinarian, who determined that Pepper was suffering from dehydration, "severe emaciation" (the veterinarian's exact words), a severe eye infection that caused both of Pepper's eyes to ooze discharge, a chronic hematoma (blood pocket) on her left ear, chronic dermatitis, a raging flea infestation (more than 500 live fleas were picked off her body), extremely worn-down teeth from biting at her own infected skin, toenails on all four feet so curled inward that they were embedded into the skin (causing an infection), a large mammary tumor, and cancer. For Pepper, euthanasia was a sweet release from the painful existence that she'd endured for so long. PETA's fieldworker stayed with Pepper as she peacefully slipped away from this world.
PETA filed cruelty charges against Angela Williams, Pepper's owner. This month, there was a small measure of justice meted out for Pepper when a judge found Williams guilty of cruelty to animals. The judge said that the woman's treatment of Pepper was as inexcusable as it would be to know that one of her patients had had bed sores for months and do nothing about it.
How we wish that Pepper's heart-wrenching case was unusual! PETA's caseworkers take in scores of animals who are in equally miserable, and even worse, condition almost every single day. For many of these suffering souls, the only kind thing to do is to hold them, make a fuss about them, tell them that they are loved, and let them slip away.
If a dog is kept penned or chained in your neighborhood, please take action. Urge the homeowner to allow the dog indoors and make him or her a part of the family. Offer to take the lonely dog for walks. Report abuse and neglect. Get the dog fixed, vaccinated, and dewormed. Look for other medical needs. Together, let's help wipe out the cruel practice of tossing dogs in the backyard and forgetting about them. Please push for anti-chaining legislation in your city or state.
After two decades of touting their "no animal testing" policies, Avon, Estée Lauder, and Mary Kay have quietly resumed paying for cruel tests on animals—without letting consumers know about this stunning about-face. After confirming with each company that chemicals are being dripped into rabbits' eyes and that substances are being rubbed onto animals' skin because of requirements of the Chinese government in order to market products in that country, PETA has downgraded the companies to our "do test" list.
All three companies were among the first large international cosmetics manufacturers to ban all tests on animals after being targeted by PETA. Avon was the first in 1989, following PETA's "Avon Killing" campaign, a play on the company's then-slogan "Avon Calling." Mary Kay came next, after being publicly lampooned by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed in a series called The Night of the Mary Kay Commandos in his hilarious Bloom County comic strip. Estée Lauder soon followed suit.
For each test required by the Chinese government, superior non-animal methods are available. Mary Kay had taken steps to work with Chinese officials on the acceptance of these tests, but Avon and Estée Lauder seem to have agreed to the tests without objection. PETA has jump-started the effort for non-animal test validation by awarding a grant to the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, which is working with scientists and regulatory bodies to replace animal tests in China.
Please let Avon, Estée Lauder, and Mary Kay know that you won't buy their products until they are 100 percent cruelty-free once again. Fortunately for animals, you can still choose from more than 1,000 companies in PETA's online searchable database of cosmetics and personal-care companies that don't harm animals at home or abroad.
PETA has learned that Casey, a young, paralyzed St. Bernard, died recently at Angel's Gate, reportedly after suffering from a long-term urinary tract infection. Casey spent most of her short life at the mercy of Susan Marino—the founder and operator of the hellhole, which continues to keep hundreds of ailing and disabled animals in conditions that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Marino faces criminal cruelty-to-animals and other charges; her next court date is March 20. We will be there.
Casey was among the animals whose systemic neglect we documented in our undercover investigation of the self-proclaimed "hospice and rehabilitation center." Our investigator routinely found Casey covered with her own waste and confined to a filthy crib, often without access to water. Routinely spending hours caked with excrement scalded the paraplegic Casey's skin around her hindquarters and genitals. We learned that in recent months, Casey was mostly kept on a mattress surrounded by baby gates, where she often lay in her own waste; that at some point, she had bloody urine; and that Marino often bemoaned Casey's "stink."
Casey as a pup, in September 2010.
Casey was not alone in her suffering. Several of the animals whose suffering we caught on video have since died, including Tucker, a sweet little beagle-hound mix with hydrocephalus who allegedly drowned a few weeks ago, evidently after being left unsupervised. Our investigation exposed the following:
The Delaware County, New York, District Attorney's Office filed charges of cruelty to animals and criminal possession of a controlled substance against Marino, but hundreds of animals still remain in Marino's custody.
How You Can Help These Animals
Please urge the New York Attorney General's Office to dissolve Angel's Gate as a nonprofit corporation and make sure that Marino's victims are immediately seized and helped.
When officials in a New Jersey city drained most of a park pond to dredge the sides, workers drained too much water, and numerous fish were stranded on the banks and suffocated. The fish who survived were huddled in shallow pools that were nearly frozen and were trying to stay alive in the frigid weather.
PETA's phone lines lit up like a Christmas tree, and we sprang into action. We alerted city officials to the tragic situation, asking for more water to be added to the pond, and sent out an action alert to our supporters, who bombarded officials with pleas to save the fish. Within 24 hours, the pond was being refilled, and the surviving fish could breathe a little easier.
Time and time again, animals' lives have been saved because PETA members like you demanded action. Thank you. And if you haven't joined our e-mail list yet, please do so today.
You may recall the protesters who took to the center ring at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show a couple of years ago. Well, it happened again earlier today just as the judge stepped up to announce which dog was "Best in Show." Two animal advocates rushed toward the ring with signs reading, "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances" and "Have a Heart: Adopt, Don't Buy."
The protesters' point? Members of the Westminster Kennel Club continue to promote and breed "purebred" dogs, while millions of wonderful mixed-breed dogs die in animal shelters every year simply because they don't have a home. Every purebred litter takes homes away from other dogs waiting desperately in shelters as well as increasing the homeless population because one-quarter of purebreds will also be abandoned and end up in shelters.
As long as shelter dogs are dying for lack of a good home, there is no such thing as a "responsible breeder."
As the U.S. Congress considers the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, which would permanently ban the use of chimpanzees in invasive experiments and retire all 600 federally owned chimpanzees to sanctuaries, Rampart star Woody Harrelson has written a letter to one of his California senators, Barbara Boxer, on behalf of PETA imploring her in her key role as the chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to support the bill:
[N]early 1,000 of these complex beings are locked inside barren cells in U.S. laboratories—some for as long as 50 years—where they have been intentionally infected with diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis and forced to endure decades of invasive procedures, fear, loneliness, and pain. This hellish experience leaves lifelong emotional scars on chimpanzees, and many of them resort to self-mutilation or suffer from depression and other psychological disorders for years after experiencing the trauma of having their minds and bodies violated.
They've won a bunch of awards, and now you can win a bunch of them! Cinnaholic's vegan gourmet cinnamon rolls have won a peta2 Libby Award and a Best of the East Bay Award in the company's hometown of Berkeley, California, and were ranked number 16 on VegNews magazine's Vegan Bucket List.
Now, they could rank number one on your list of the most delicious things you've ever won. Two PETA Files readers will each have a half-dozen cinnamon rolls in their choice of any of 11 frosting flavors shipped fresh to their home or a friend's. (If you want to send them to me, I have no problem with that.) Just submit a comment telling us what you love about being vegan or why you're ready to make the switch, and two winners will be selected at random.
Good luck!
Because of shipping requirements, only people living within the 48 continental United States are eligible to win. Two winners will be chosen at random from the animal-friendly comments that are submitted. The contest will end on February 22, 2012, and we'll contact the winners by February 29, 2012. Make sure that you read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.
After hearing from thousands of animal advocates, the owners of Atlantic City's Steel Pier have canceled their plans to hold horse-diving shows, in which horses would be marched up a narrow ramp and out onto a platform and then forced to jump, plummeting many feet into a pool below.
We know from past horse-diving events that horses suffer bone fractures, internal organ damage, bruising, and leg, spine, and other injuries.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress: LC-USZ62-24057
PETA wrote to Atlantic City organizers and sent out an action alert, and thousands of supporters urged everyone involved to cancel the events. Other animal protectionists organized protests and set up online petitions that garnered 50,000 signatures.
Horse-diving at the Steel Pier was stopped in 1978, but it was briefly revived in 1993. Steel Pier's then-owner, Donald Trump, canceled it because it was cruel to animals.
We're glad that Steel Pier Associates has followed in Trump's compassionate footsteps and are sending them flowers and a letter of thanks for canceling the horse-diving before it started. And we want to thank the many, many kind people who spoke out in the horses' behalf. Together, we made a big difference!
Like everyone else, I'm sure, I went nuts when we were treated to not one, but two performances by Sir Paul McCartney at the Grammys. But someone else got an even bigger treat.
PETA Director's Circle member Ady Gil, whose digital video equipment company helped with the show, was standing backstage when Paul came out of his dressing room. Ady proudly held up a copy of Glass Walls, the meat-industry exposé that Sir Paul narrated for PETA, which Ady always keeps at the ready to hand out. Sir Paul spotted Ady holding the DVD, smiled, and motioned for him to come over and chat, thrilled that Ady constantly carries and distributes Glass Walls. The two talked about animal rights, and Ady walked away with an autograph, a great picture, and a fond memory.
Why not order some copies of Glass Walls and distribute them yourself? You never know where The Cute One might pop up. You can also send a link to Glass Walls to a friend on the fence about meat or post it on your Facebook page.
Note to self: Next year, attend Grammys. Bring copy of Glass Walls.
Realtor to the stars and Million Dollar Listing celebrity Chad Rogers has a million-dollar idea: Encourage people to adopt their animal companions from animal shelters and donate to PETA's doghouse program. In an exclusive interview, Chad—joined, of course, by his canine family member, Starla—talks with PETA about doing both:
Chad spends his days brokering some of the biggest real-estate deals in Hollywood, but at the end of the day, his dog, Starla, takes center stage in his life. He encourages people to adopt animals rather than buying them because every dog deserves a loving home. "There's thousands and thousands of pets all over the world that need homes," Chad says, "so why not go to a shelter and get a dog? I mean, that's the best thing that you could possibly do for another dog's life."
Starla is a star in her own right, capturing the title of America's Cutest Canine in a national contest. Chad and Starla took the prize money and invested in real estate—for dogs. They donated the entire prize to PETA's "Angels for Animals" program, which provides cold and lonely "backyard dogs" with sturdy, custom-built doghouses.
Will you be an "angel" for a cold "outdoor dog" this winter? If so, tell Chad and Starla about it on Twitter.
If this "Fur Out, Love In" demonstration brings to mind a John Lennon–Yoko Ono bed-in, why not celebrate Valentine's Day peacefully—without the skins of tortured animals? Imagine all the animals living life in peace …
In June, the Board of Commissioners of Fulton County, Georgia, at the urging of PETA, Demi Moore, local citizens, and other animal advocates, banned the use of bullhooks, fireplace poker–like goads that are used to beat and hook elephants in sensitive areas of their bodies in order to make them obey commands. This meant that if Ringling Bros. wanted to bring the Cruelest Show on Earth to Atlanta, it would have to leave behind the torture devices that the elephants fear.
But with its Atlanta shows scheduled to start this week, Ringling, knowing that it can't control the elephants without bullhooks and so would have to leave the pachyderms out of the ring, filed a plea for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the ban on Monday afternoon, claiming that there was no specific intergovernmental agreement between Fulton County and the city of Atlanta and that the ban did not apply in the city. To everyone's surprise, Ringling got its way, and the TRO was granted.
PETA has issued the following statement:
The legislation banning bullhooks was passed because of a serious commitment by the citizens and commissioners of Fulton County to prohibit this sort of animal abuse in their community. The Municipal Code of Atlanta very clearly incorporates all of the Fulton County animal control ordinances—including the bullhook ban. PETA is concerned that the clearly worded prohibition and the wishes of Fulton County citizens have been disregarded without a proper legal basis. Bullhooks, as admitted by Ringling trainers and executives, are used to beat, jab, hook, and yank elephants in order to force them to obey. There are only two uses for a bullhook: to inflict pain and to instill a fear of pain. While a ban on the use of bullhooks is an important step in the right direction, it is now clear that anyone who cares about elephants and other captive exotic animals must make the compassionate decision never to attend a circus that uses animals.
Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts issued a statement saying he believes that there was an implied agreement between Atlanta and Fulton County and that the ban should be upheld.
Compassionate people are making their voices heard, and they will continue until the beatings under the big top stop.
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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.