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Blog Post: Use Foursquare, Leave Tips, Eat Vegan!

Michelle Sherrow — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

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."

Share Your Tips!

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?

Let Us Know!

Did you share a foursquare tip? Let us know by sharing your link in the comments below.

What's in a Vegan's Freezer?

Ashley-P — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:29:00 GMT

Notorious Tiger Exhibitor Put out of Business—Permanently

Jinnine-P — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:00:00 GMT

PETA Billboard Asks: If You Wouldn't Eat Cats, Why Eat Chickens?

Jinnine-P — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:55:00 GMT

PETA Donates Software to Help Keep Dissection Out of South Dakota School

Jinnine-P — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:51:00 GMT

PETA Campaigns Starring Penelope Cruz and Stella McCartney Hit D.C. Fashion Week

Jinnine-P — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:44:00 GMT

Blog Post: Photo: 'Pig' Has a Gig at Bacon Festival

Michelle Sherrow — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:35:00 GMT

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.

Blog Post: Why ‘No-Kill Shelters’ Make Animals Rely on Us Now More Than Ever

Jeff Mackey — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:31:00 GMT

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:

The mayor of a Pennsylvania town with an out-of-control feral cat problem explained, "The no-kill killed us. That's what did it. We can't have a no-kill shelter that doesn't euthanize animals."
A Louisiana animal shelter was turned over to a no-kill group and was almost immediately found to be keeping animals in criminally cruel and severely crowded conditions. After one month, the animal shelter began euthanizing animals because of humane concerns.
A Missouri hoarder said that before opening her home to nearly five dozen animals, "she reached out to many animal shelters, but she said none of them have been able to help."
Two cats died when they were left in a box outside a New York animal shelter that charges a surrender fee.

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.

How You Can Help Abandoned Animals

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.

Blog Post: A Gentle Hand for the Toughest Cases

Jeff Mackey — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:31:00 GMT

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):

DJ

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.

Trixie

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.

An Unnamed Cat

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.

Pokey

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.

Doing What's Right

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 Demands Action

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.

How You Can Help Neglected and Homeless Animals

Please join this effort by asking your governor to support strong spay and neuter legislation.

Caring Consumer 101

Frank-S — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:59:00 GMT

Tell Cosmetics Companies to Stop Paying for Tests on Animals

Frank-S — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:51:00 GMT

Blow the Whistle on Fur

Jessy-E — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:33:00 GMT

Blog Post: The Week in PETA (Feb. 17, 2012)

Michelle Sherrow — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:10:00 GMT

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 News on Tumblr

PETA's Tumblr page keeps you up to date on all the latest animal news.

New Features

New Action Alerts

Blog Post: Meet Some of the Animals PETA Helped in 2011

Jeff Mackey — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:32:00 GMT

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

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

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.

Prue

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

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

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

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.

How You Can Help Dogs and Cats Like These

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!

Cute Baby Elephants: Born to Be Wild!

Vanessa-C — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:32:00 GMT

Blog Post: Overheard: Celebrity Gossip (Feb. 17, 2012)

Michelle Sherrow — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:19:00 GMT

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

PETA Complaint Leads San Diego County to Investigate Insider's Report of Deadly Training on Pigs

Jinnine-P — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:11:00 GMT

Fashion Friday: At-Home Spa Day

Ashley-P — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Blow the Whistle on Fur

Jessy-E — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:46:00 GMT

Sign Up for PETA Mobile

Vanessa-C — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:17:00 GMT

Home

Blog Post: Use Foursquare, Leave Tips, Eat Vegan!

Share Your Tips!

Let Us Know!

What's in a Vegan's Freezer?

Notorious Tiger Exhibitor Put out of Business—Permanently

PETA Billboard Asks: If You Wouldn't Eat Cats, Why Eat Chickens?

PETA Donates Software to Help Keep Dissection Out of South Dakota School

PETA Campaigns Starring Penelope Cruz and Stella McCartney Hit D.C. Fashion Week

Blog Post: Photo: 'Pig' Has a Gig at Bacon Festival

Photo of the Day

Blog Post: Why ‘No-Kill Shelters’ Make Animals Rely on Us Now More Than Ever

How You Can Help Abandoned Animals

Blog Post: A Gentle Hand for the Toughest Cases

DJ

Trixie

An Unnamed Cat

Pokey

Doing What's Right

PETA Demands Action

How You Can Help Neglected and Homeless Animals

Caring Consumer 101

Tell Cosmetics Companies to Stop Paying for Tests on Animals

Blow the Whistle on Fur

Blog Post: The Week in PETA (Feb. 17, 2012)

PETA News on Tumblr

New Features

New Action Alerts

Blog Post: Meet Some of the Animals PETA Helped in 2011

Moose

Bailey

Prue

Bentley

Brownie

Biscuit

How You Can Help Dogs and Cats Like These

Cute Baby Elephants: Born to Be Wild!

Blog Post: Overheard: Celebrity Gossip (Feb. 17, 2012)

PETA Complaint Leads San Diego County to Investigate Insider's Report of Deadly Training on Pigs

Fashion Friday: At-Home Spa Day

Blow the Whistle on Fur

Sign Up for PETA Mobile