Zoe's Story September 16, 2009
Posted by Shannon Phillips at September 16, 2009 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBackAbout six months ago, I met an amazing girl with a personality to match, and we quickly became best friends. Like a best friend should, she doesn't care what I look like in the morning, she supports every decision I make, and she's there for me between laughter and tears. My only complaints about our friendship are that she can't go shopping with me, we're unable to go out for fancy vegan dinners, and the strangest of all? She doesn't talk. All of this might sound a little off, but it makes a little more sense when I let you know that my best friend is a dog.
As a regular volunteer at the city animal shelter, Norfolk Animal Care Center, I see a lot of animals come and go, and my best friend is really no different. She came to the shelter as a stray from one of the worst neighborhoods in Norfolk. She was lethargic, scared, had visible scars on her legs and neck, and was a little skinny. While I genuinely love each and every dog that comes through the shelter doors, there was just something different about Zoe. In the beginning, Zoe didn't even want to leave her kennel to go on walks, and she curled up on her bed and slept for the entire day. There was no doubt in my mind that she was depressed, and I wanted to do everything I could to change that for her. Over the weeks, I spent more and more time with Zoe and eventually gained her trust. We went on long walks, played fetch, and the amazing staff made sure that she got her favorite pink comforter to lay on every night at bedtime.
Over the next few months, I showed Zoe to just about every family that walked through the doors looking for a new companion. Unfortunately, a lot of people judged Zoe by her appearance and opted to look at smaller dogs, puppies, or purebreds. After multiple rejections, I started to feel like I was letting Zoe down. More than anything, I wanted someone to give her a chance and a forever home, but little did I know ... that person would be me. After about three months in the shelter, I heard word that Zoe had a chance of being euthanized as no one seemed to be interested, and the shelter was full of other dogs who also needed forever homes. At that moment, I knew I had to do something. I scribbled a note for the shelter manager on a post-it and stuck it on his office door. On May 8th, 2009, I picked up my new companion and we've been inseparable ever since.
It feels so great to know that Zoe has a second chance in life, but more than anything, I wish that so many other dogs in shelters could have that same chance. Every year, approximately 6 to 8 million animals are turned into shelters, and 4 million of those animals are either euthanized or end up in no-kill shelters where they may spend years living in a cage. Many animals come in as strays, but some are even surrendered by their guardians for reasons like "allergies," "we're moving," "can't keep anymore," "too expensive"—there are just too many to list. If there's anything I've learned from Zoe and volunteering at the shelter, it's the importance of spaying and neutering (the world doesn't need any more puppies, trust me!), only getting an animal companion if you have the time, money, and means to do so, and avoiding pet stores and
So if you're looking for a friend and have the time and the means to do so, please adopt a companion from your local shelter—they will thank you with a lifetime of unconditional love.
xoP.S. In her new life, Zoe loves the PETA dog park, cuddling on the couch, peanut butter biscuits, playgrounds filled with children (she absolutely adores kids), car rides, trying to play with my cats—Mr. Chow and Bean, and grooming my bunny, Princess Bun-Bun. I'm also happy to say that Zoe is now a PETA office dog and comes to work with me every day! In fact, she's curled up at my feet as I type this.
PETA's Position on Pit Bulls (Warning: Graphic Images) July 21, 2009
Posted by Ryan at July 21, 2009 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBackHere at peta2, we receive lots of questions on how we feel about pit bulls and breed-specific legislation. To help clear up any confusion, here is our official position, reposted from PETA, on pit bulls: We're for 'em.
By "for 'em," I mean that we are for pit bull protection, for their happiness, and for treating them like dogs instead of like cheap burglar alarms, punching bags, or gladiators in perverted death matches.
Some pit bull fanciers out there seem to think that PETA is "against" pit bulls because we don't oppose breed-specific measures to address what is obviously a breed-specific crisis. Au contraire. If someone proposed a ban on breeding Labrador retrievers or Chihuahuas or poodles (you get the picture—any dog), we'd be for those too. That's because we don't think any dogs should be brought into the world as long as millions are dying for lack of homes in animal shelters and on the streets every year.
Millions, people. Millions of dogs just like the ones you share your homes with have to be euthanized because too many people fail to spay and neuter their animals and choose to buy from breeders and pet stores instead of saving lives by adopting from animal shelters. Wouldn't we be derelict in our duty if we didn't support laws that would alleviate suffering and reduce those numbers? If those laws saved just one animal from suffering a miserable life or a painful death, wouldn't they be worth it?
Pit bulls are often singled out by legislators because they are involved in so many attacks on humans and other dogs—as well as horrific cruelty cases. Our fieldworkers know firsthand just how frequently and mercilessly pit bulls are abused. These dogs are hands-down the most common victims of heartbreaking abuse and severe neglect that our caseworkers encounter.
I'm going to warn you—the following pictures, which were taken by our caseworkers of pit bulls they have helped, are graphic and disturbing. But I hope you'll steel yourself to look at them and decide for yourself whether or not these suffering dogs would have been better off if they had never been born:
This is Rikus.
PETA fieldworkers found him cowering in his doghouse with a gaping wound on one of his legs, exposing muscle and bone. His face was swollen to the size of a melon because of infected wounds that he had suffered during a dogfight.
Music was nothing more than skin and bones when we found him, chained, without food or water, and with nothing but a rusty pile of junk for shelter. He was shivering in freezing weather, trapped at the end of a heavy chain when we found him.
Music's ears were shredded and his body was covered with scabs and scars—an indication that he had been forced to fight with other dogs.
In December of last year, PETA staffers found Zoo—also skin and bones—chained and starving in Suffolk, Virginia.
Our vet determined that Zoo was 20 to 30 pounds underweight. Zoo tested negative for intestinal parasites—meaning that his emaciated body condition was because of starvation. He was also filthy, flea-ridden, and heartworm positive. We charged his callous owners with cruelty to animals. They pleaded not guilty in court, but the judge saw through their lies and convicted them. They were sentenced to 30 days in jail (suspended) and forced to pay fines of $250 each as well as restitution for Zoo's veterinary bill.
On New Year's Day, heartbroken PETA staffers discovered this angel, Hugo, dead inside his PETA-supplied doghouse. A necropsy report confirmed that Hugo had been starved to death—the only contents of his stomach were grass and orange peels. He had scars consistent with dogfighting and had a fractured rib that was the result of trauma. We worked with law enforcement officials to bring charges against the person who was responsible for Hugo's prolonged suffering and death. A judge sentenced the defendant to 120 days in jail and five years of probation during which time he is not allowed to inhabit a residence that has any animals in it.
Blackie was chained to an old carrier with no food or water. He was painfully thin, and his right rear leg had a compound fracture that had been left to rot for weeks.
For more information about PETA's position on pit bulls, check out our new pamphlet on the subject.
New Animated Sitcom About Vegans on ABC! May 28, 2009
Posted by Marta at May 28, 2009 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack
TAGGED:
Vegan ABC funny The Goode Family animated sitcom
Who caught The Goode Family on ABC last night? For those who didn't see it, The Goode Family is the new animated sitcom from Mike Judge (the genius behind King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-head, and Office Space). The show centers around a vegan family, and I have to say, I thought it was pretty funny.
The show is about a family (mainly the parents) trying to live an obsessively politically-correct lifestyle. My favorite parts of last night's episode:
- At one point, the mom declares, "I only shop at stores with a mission statement." Hah!
- A "Meat is Murder" tee made an appearance.
- The awkward conversation about race between the Goodes and their neighbor.
- The death stares Helen got from fellow shoppers for not using a reusable bag.
Some activists might be offended by some of the humor, but the show is bringing veganism into the mainstream. And sometimes you just have to learn to laugh at yourself, right? What did you guys think of the show?
♥ P.S. I hear next week's episode is called "Pleatherheads." Can't wait!
Why We Euthanize March 31, 2009
Posted by Marta at March 31, 2009 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 35 ) | TrackBack
TAGGED:
cats dogs ABC euthanasia
Euthanasia is not something anyone likes to think about, but unfortunately, sometimes it's a necessity. I wanted to share with you PETA's stance on euthanasia straight from PETA President Ingrid Newkirk herself. This is long, but it's really important, so please do read it all the way through. And a heads-up: The images are graphic and disturbing.
-Marta
In my first year working at a grossly substandard animal shelter in Maryland, I forced myself to go in early to euthanize dogs by holding them in my arms and gently helping them escape an uncaring world without trauma or pain and to spare them from being stabbed haphazardly—while they were fully conscious, terrified and aware—in the general vicinity of their hearts with needles blunt from reuse and left to thrash on the floor until they finally died by the callous people who would arrive later to do the job.
I always wonder how anyone cannot recognize that there is a world of difference between painlessly euthanizing animals out of compassion—aged, injured, sick, and dying animals whose guardians can't afford euthanasia, for instance—as PETA does, and causing them to suffer terror, pain, and a prolonged death while struggling to survive on the streets, at the hands of untrained and uncaring "technicians," or animal abusers.
It's easy to point the finger at those who are forced to do the "dirty work" caused by a throwaway society's casual acquisition and breeding of dogs and cats who end up homeless and unwanted, but at PETA, we will never turn our backs on neglected, unloved, and homeless animals—even if the best we can offer them is a painless release from a world that doesn't have enough heart or homes with room for them. It makes it easy for people to throw stones at us, but we are against all needless killing: for hamburgers, fur collars, dissection, sport hunting—the works. PETA handled far more animals than 2,124 in 2008. In fact, we took in more than 10,000 dogs and cats and work very hard to persuade people to spay and neuter their animals and to commit to a lifetime of care and respect for them. We go so far as to transport animals to and from our spay/neuter clinics, where they are spayed or neutered and given vet care, often for free! Since 2001, PETA's low- to no-cost spay-and-neuter mobile clinics, SNIP and ABC, have sterilized more than 50,000 animals, preventing hundreds of thousands of animals from being born, neglected, abandoned, abused, or euthanized when no one wanted them. And on a national level, PETA is focusing on the root of the problem through our Animal Birth Control (ABC) campaign.
If anyone has a good home, love, and respect to offer, we beg them: Go to a shelter and take one or two animals home. The problem is that few people do that, choosing instead to go to a breeder or a pet shop and not "fixing" their dogs and cats, which contributes to the high euthanasia rate that animal shelters face. Most of the animals we took in and euthanized could hardly be called "pets," as they had spent their lives chained up in the back yard, for instance. They were unsocialized, never having been inside a building of any kind or known a pat on the head. Others were indeed someone's, but they were aged, sick, injured, dying, too aggressive to place, and the like, and PETA offered them a painless release from suffering, with no charge to their owners or custodians.
Every day, PETA's fieldworkers help abused and neglected dogs—many of them pit bulls nowadays and many of them forced to live their lives on chains heavy enough to tow an 18-wheeler—by providing them with food; clean water; lightweight tie-outs; deworming medicine; flea, tick, and fly-strike prevention; free veterinary care; sturdy wooden doghouses stuffed with straw bedding; and love.
What we see is enough to make you lose faith in humanity. One pit bull we gained custody of, named Asia, looked like a skeleton covered with skin when PETA released her from the 15-pound chain she had been kept on for years. Asia suffered from three painful and deadly intestinal obstructions, which prevented her from keeping any food down. She faced an agonizing, lingering death, so our veterinarian recommended euthanasia to end her suffering. We pursued criminal charges against those responsible for her condition, leading to their conviction for cruelty to animals. That is just one of the dozens of cases we see every week.
The majority of adoptable dogs are never brought through our doors (we refer them to local adoption groups and walk-in animal shelters). Most of the animals we house, rescue, find homes for, or put out of their misery come from miserable conditions, which often lead to successful prosecution and the banning of animal abusers from ever owning or abusing animals again.
As long as animals are still purposely bred and people aren't spaying and neutering their companions, open-admission animal shelters and organizations like PETA must do society's dirty work. Euthanasia is not a solution to overpopulation but rather a tragic necessity given the present crisis. PETA is proud to be a "shelter of last resort," where animals who have no place to go or who are unwanted or suffering are welcomed with love and open arms.
Please, if you care about animals, help prevent more of them from being born only to end up chained and left to waste away in people's back yards, suffering on mean streets where people kick at them or shoo them away like garbage, tortured at the hands of animal abusers, or, alas, euthanized in animal shelters for lack of a good home. If you want to save lives, always have your animals spayed or neutered.
- Ingrid Newkirk
Free Stuff Friday: Vegan Condoms December 26, 2008
Posted by Ashleigh at December 26, 2008 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 110 ) | TrackBackHomelessness isn't just a human problem. Animal shelters in the United States must euthanize nearly 4 million dogs and cats every year because of simple math: too many animals and not enough worthy adoptive homes. The good news is that you can help prevent this; it's as easy as ABC—Animal Birth Control! The main tenets of ABC are: never breed or buy animals; always adopt; and always spay and neuter. Simple, right?
Unfortunately, not everyone has gotten the message. Sixteen percent of the approx. 90 million owned cats in the US and thirty percent of the approx. 73 million owned dogs remain unsterilized. That's 35 million animals who are unsterilized! (And that's not even counting the millions of "unowned" animals who are struggling to survive on the streets.)
Watch this video to learn more:
Ready to help? We're giving away 5 boxes of 100 Glyde condoms (ultra licorice flavored) that you can give out to your friends in an effort to educate them about ABC (and to encourage them to be safe in their own sexual practices)! Let them know that dogs and cats can't use condoms, so in order to prevent pregnancy they need to be spayed and neutered. And don't forget to sign here to pledge to end animal homelessness.
To win, comment below with why everyone should practice their ABCs!
FYI – these condoms expire in April of 09, so distribute them quickly and tell everyone about the expiration date!
Oh, and this contest ends January 9, 2009 and the five winners will be chosen and notified by January 16, 2009!
All entrants must be at least 18 years old. By commenting on the blog and entering the contest, you are confirming that you are 18 or older. Also, by commenting here, we're taking that as acknowledgment that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.
Also by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.
Be safe!
PS - Does this remind you of the sex talk your parents had with you?
Jenna Jameson Says Too Much Sex Can Be a Bad Thing August 8, 2008
Posted by Lara Sanders at August 8, 2008 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack
TAGGED:
spay neuter ABC animal birth control Jenna Jameson Rob and Big companion animal animal shelters
Got your attention? I thought so. Jenna Jameson has been known to do that! Don't believe me? Take a look...
Jenna posed for PETA's latest ABC ad to raise the very important issue of birth control—animal birth control that is.
Every year, nearly 7 million dogs and cats are abandoned at animal shelters in the U.S. because there are simply not enough good homes. The good news is, like Jenna, you can help—and you don't even have to take your clothes off to do so! It's as easy as ABC (animal birth control).
What does animal birth control mean? It means always spaying and neutering your companion animals and never buying from a breeder or pet store. If every animal lover took these small steps we could all help put an end to the companion animal overpopulation crisis!
Comment below on which ABC ad you like better: Jenna's or Rob and Big's?
xoxo- Lara
Riding Along With Ashley Fiolek July 25, 2008
Posted by at July 25, 2008 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack
TAGGED:
fur KFC dog ABC Ashley Fiolek
The fact that I never truly mastered the art of the whole bike riding thing, doesn't mean I can't enjoy all those sports that require one, right? Cool. And that includes the fast-paced, high flying world of Motocross. Recently, I got the chance to check in with Ashley Fiolek, who is kicking serious behind on the Motocross circuit these days. She took a break from speeding past the competition to chat with peta2. Check it out.
Introduce yourself to the new fans and the old ones too.
Hi! I'm Ashley. I am 17 years old and I have been profoundly deaf since birth. I have been riding and racing for over ten years! It is my life and my passion! I have won 13 amateur national championships and I just became a full time professional woman racer this year. I am riding both of the US women's series and also the European series championships. I am having so much fun and motocross has really been great to me! I have met some incredible people and have had some fantastic experiences!
So do you have any companion animals? How did they become part of your family?
Yes, I have three dogs. Their names are Holeshot (motocross thing!), Boogie and Brother dog! We saved all of these animals. They were all strays. Boogie is the youngest and he can be kind of a handful. He thinks he is the size of a Jack Russel when he is really bigger than a shepherd!
How do you feel about fur and the people that wear fur?
Well I don't think people should wear or buy fur coats I don't think it is fair to the animals to be hanging off of someone!
If you could choose to be an animal for a day, what animal would you choose and why?
That is easy. A dog! They are so cute and adorable and friendly and they love unconditionally!
We're currently campaigning against KFC. We'd like them to end abuses such as cutting off their sensitive beaks, breaking their limbs and scalding them to death in tanks. How do you feel about our campaign?
Well, my mom told me about this issue awhile ago and we do not eat there any more! I am definitely against this and I think it is very cruel.
Any last words of wisdom for your fans?
Just keep trying. Never give up and always follow your dreams!
Good advice from a great person. Go Ashley!!
Phil
Vanessa Carlton's New ABC Ad April 22, 2008
Posted by Patricia at April 22, 2008 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBack
TAGGED:
cats dogs Dita Von Teese celebs gossip ABC Vanessa Carlton Ron Artest spaying and neutering CosmoGirl.com NBA
Spring is in full swing, thank goodness! I am totally over cold weather and apparently so are all the wildlife around here, they're um, well, they're downright frisky. That's what happens when Spring rolls around, which makes it the perfect time to talk about spaying and neutering, and our brand new ABC (Animal Birth Control) ad starring Vanessa Carlton and her handsome canine companion, Victor.
I have to say that ad is pretty darn cute. And Victor is adorable! Vanessa and Victor want everyone to practice their ABC's because that's the best way to end animal homelessness. "The most well-adjusted and emotionally balanced dogs and cats are the mixed breeds found in shelters," says Carlton.
Vanessa joins NBA star Ron Artest and burlesque queen, Dita Von Teese in supporting our ABC campaign because they want you to know that millions of animals are euthanized in shelters every year because there aren't enough good homes for them. And when you buy a dog or a cat from a breeder or a pet store, it kills a shelter animal's chance for adoption.
Adds Carlton, "Bottom line: Always go to a shelter first. Personally, I think spaying and neutering should be an enforced law." We agree! Thanks to our friends at CosmoGirl.com who are helping us launch the ad!
xox
Patricia
P.S. Check out peta2's Guide to the ABC's, then tell me which is your favorite ABC ad—print or video—by posting your comments below.
Do You Practice Your ABCs? November 30, 2007
Posted by Marta at November 30, 2007 5:03 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBackGrowing up, I was used to seeing tons of cats wandering the streets all the time and dogs running loose in my neighborhood—and sadly, I never really thought a whole lot about it. These animals were in dire need of homes, and my heart always went out to them, but it just kind of struck me as the way things had to be. That's not true though. People just need to learn to practice their ABCs—Animal Birth Control.
Sixteen percent of the approximately 90 million cats with homes in the U.S., and 30 percent of the approximately 73 million dogs with homes, remain unsterilized—and that's not even counting those homeless animals like I saw growing up! Think about it: Each time a cat or dog gets pregnant, they have many kittens and puppies—and how many people do you know that keep an entire litter? Hardly anybody at all. That adds up to lots and lots of animals that need homes.
There are already millions of animals in shelters that need good homes, and we need to do all we can not to contribute to that number. The fact that people breed animals for profit—when there are so many wonderful animals our there in need of a loving family to adopt them—absolutely breaks my heart. Every animal bred and born—on purpose or by accident—and every animal purchased from a breeder or pet store occupies a home that could have taken in a dog or cat dying for a home at an animal shelter.
What better way to spread the importance of practicing your ABCs then with some edgy new videos? Check 'em out below, and then send them to everyone you know!
Amazing, right? I can't get enough of them!
Please, please, practice your ABCs and encourage your friends and family to get their animals spayed and neutered and never to buy an animal from a breeder. You really will be saving lives.
♥ Marta
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