Grrr! Fall/Winter 2000 >> They Did It!

Tell us what you’ve done for animals.
Write to Grrr!, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510

Pattern of Compassion
Robin Sawyer’s stomach turned as her instructor announced her plans for Robin’s fashion class. A lesson in polyester pantsuit design? No—much, much worse. The teacher was going to take the class to visit a furrier.

Robin didn’t waste a nanosecond. She logged onto PETA’s Web site to get the nitty-gritty about how fur farmers suffocate minks and how trappers break their victims’ necks to kill them. Robin schooled her teacher and class about the cruel fur industry, and her persistence paid off. They nixed plans to visit the furrier.

Art with a Heart
Ana’s assignment was to create a poster advertising the rodeo—she wowed her teacher with this one!

Meat’s No Treat for Those You Eat!
Jacob Sloat’s favorite item for “show and tell” at school is the book Victor the Vegetarian about a boy who runs away with lambs in order to save their lives. Jacob told his classmates that the easiest way to help animals is by not eating them.

Rage About the Cage
Erin Gill’s sixth-grade class went on a field trip to the Bronx Zoo. When the teacher asked the students to write about what they had learned, she was shocked by what Erin wrote—that caging animals just so people could gawk at them was cruel and unnatural. Well said, Erin!

Over the last 10 years, PETA and other animal protection groups have heard from thousands of kids and teachers who don’t want to dissect. We’ve done the math (see, it does come in handy sometimes), and it adds up to great news for animals: This year, the ONE-MILLIONTH animal was saved by a brave student who stood up and said “no.”

Meet Judy Moser, an eighth-grader at Custer Baker Middle School in Indiana. Faced with the dissection of a frog, Judy contacted our Education Department for help.

The free "Cut Out Dissection" pack that we sent explained how studies have shown that modern computer programs and anatomically correct models teach at
least as much as poking around in a formaldehyde-soaked corpse. Judy and her mom, Karen, said that the pack gave them the confidence and backing they needed to meet with the teacher and get Judy an alternative project, writing a paper on frogs.

• If you’re faced with dissection, call PETA’s Education Department. We’ll send you a free “Cut Out Dissection” pack loaded with facts to help you stand up for your rights.

• Order PETA’s “Classroom Cut-Ups” video, which includes footage taken undercover at a dissection supply company. Show it to teachers, students, and the school board.

• Order a free “Proud Parent of a Student Who Won’t Dissect” bumper sticker to slap on the back of the minivan.

Gimme Shelter

What’s a super-cool Boy Scout do to earn his Eagle Scout badge? Denzil Elgan contacted PETA headquarters to ask just that. Pitiful outside dogs instantly popped into our minds. Our suggestion? Grab some 2x4s and build doghouses for families who can’t afford to buy them. Denzil did just that—and his hard work has made 10 dogs’ lives more comfortable.

How To Build a Better Doghouse

1 Use plastic or painted wood only.

2 Make sure there are no leaks.

3 Raise it several inches off the ground.

4 Make it face south in winter, north in summer.

5 Put a flap over the door (a rug or rubber mat with strips cut vertically).

6 The roof should extend 8 inches over the door to keep out rain.

7 Use straw or newspaper for bedding; and nail a strip of wood at the bottom to keep bedding from spilling out. Don’t use rugs or rags—they absorb water and can freeze.

8 Water goes into a sturdy bucket inside a rubber tire to prevent tipping—make sure it doesn’t freeze.