For at least three long years, Nigel’s “home” was a dark, waste-filled, and dank garage in Hampton, Virginia. Chained to a wall, the dog was never let out of the garage—ever—and was forced to live amid his own urine and feces. The chain had become rusty and corroded after years of being dragged through his … Read more »
PETA is proud to continue to stand tall and roll up its sleeves to help animals.
For 34 years, Sally and her guardian were together nearly every day. The loving man doted on his horse, keeping her well cared for and giving her the run of his property. But Sally’s age was catching up with her. Her once-sparkling brown eyes had completely lost their sight, she was losing weight, and her … Read more »
Floyd was purchased from a California breeder, and like so many of the purebreds sold as mere “inventory” by puppy mills and other animal peddlers, the bulldog puppy’s health suffered because the breeder focused on the bottom line rather than proper care. So Young, So Much Suffering By mating related dogs, breeders are essentially inbreeders, leading to … Read more »
When a Houston woman found a skinny kitten covered with fleas, she began calling “no-kill” shelters looking for somewhere to take the animal, not knowing that these types of shelters are usually full and offer no help. Frustrated and worried, she called PETA. We encouraged the caller to bring the kitten indoors right away … Read more »
A PETA staffer walking to the Los Angeles office one morning spotted an opossum sitting in the middle of the road, bleeding from her mouth. Several men were jabbing her with sticks. Look closely: Even when injuries aren’t obvious, an animal may be suffering. With the help of several coworkers, the staffer cleared everyone from … Read more »
It was one of those stories that was so appalling that people had to share it. A PETA supporter learned from someone at her workplace about a couple who had moved out of their house and left their St. Bernard there alone, caged in a crate 24 hours a day. She called us immediately. After … Read more »
Her left thigh was split wide open, exposing a festering wound the size of a baseball. The stray cat had suffered for months while the infected wound worsened, before a PETA supporter spotted her and contacted us for help. Knowing that the cat was likely in immense pain, we quickly got local officials to set … Read more »
It’s a common occurrence at PETA: We received an e-mail from a woman in Illinois who knew that her 18-year-old cat was suffering and needed to be euthanized, but she was unable to afford euthanasia at her veterinarian’s office. So she asked if PETA could help cover the cost. The cat’s weight had dropped to … Read more »
The guardian of a seriously ill Pekingese called PETA. Her dog was clearly in terrible distress—he wasn’t eating or drinking, was panting heavily, and had great difficulty breathing. The diagnostics and treatment proposed by the veterinarian would have been costly and, more importantly, extensive. What should she do? Scrounge up the money for the procedures … Read more »
An Arkansas woman who was feeding a colony of 15 feral cats was deeply distraught when she found the bodies of seven of the cats, all riddled with gunshots. One cat who had been shot in the eyes had apparently wandered around blindly before dying. Desperate to save the remaining cats—five adults and three kittens—from … Read more »
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. … Read more »
A cat’s survival of two harrowing ordeals in a gas chamber has prompted concerned citizens to demand that the West Valley City, Utah, animal shelter scrap its cruel carbon-monoxide gas chamber and replace it with euthanasia by injection. After the second attempt to gas her, the cat was put into a plastic bag and placed … Read more »
Many of us have had a peek into the bizarre world of hoarding courtesy of reality television. Accumulating piles and piles of household junk is bad enough, but when hoarders collect living animals, the results are extreme neglect, suffering, and death. According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), “It is likely that up to … Read more »
Animal shelters across the country are overflowing with record numbers of cats and dogs—many of whom were surrendered by people who lost their homes or could no longer afford to care for their animal companions after being laid off.