peta2 Star Street Teamer: Heather Murphy of Lorain, Ohio! June 8, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at June 8, 2009 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack Some people are just fearless. When it comes to speaking up for animals, Heather Murphy definitely fits the bill. Whether it's calling up David Novak to give him a piece of her mind, relentlessly standing outside of her local KFC for hours handing out leaflets and informing people about KFC's bottom of the bucket animal welfare standards, or writing to the Trollsen twins about how disgusting fur is, Heather takes every opportunity to be a voice for animals. For all of those reasons and more, Heather is peta2 Star Street Teamer for the month of June! Check out the interview I did with her this past week!

I think the first time I ever corresponded with you was when you sent in a video of yourself calling David Novak. You've done so many protests, peta2 missions, and handed out so many leaflets—what is some advice you have for Street Teamers who may be nervous talking about the issues with strangers?
I say practice! Practice what you are going to say and maybe even write it down before calling a company. With handing out flyers, just be sure to know what you're talking about and try keeping on the topic as much as possible. People try very hard to knock you off track and will try to make you look like a "stupid" vegetarian PETA member who knows nothing. Don't let this get you down! Stay really calm, be yourself and be as polite as possible. If someone says they don't want a flyer, don't take it personally. It has happened to me many of times—just go on to the next person.

What is the biggest challenge you've faced as a peta2 Street Teamer, and how did you overcome it?
I think the biggest challenge was probably protesting for the first time and trying not to feel stupid in front of everyone. I overcame this by just going out there and not caring about anything but getting the word out about animal rights. Animal rights are more important than worrying about what someone thinks. Holding up a sign, handing out a flyer, calling a company or even starting a petition gets a lot done. It helps get the word out about things that need to be changed.

It seems like you're a force to be reckoned with in your community—have you been surprised by how many of your fellow students have reacted to the information you've given them?
Many people have been very shocked and I'm very surprised on how many people actually listened to what I had to say about animal rights. In my sophomore year of high school, I was talking during my biology class about animal testing and I handed a flyer to a person behind me. My teacher overheard me talking and was surprised about the truth of dissection and even let me show Testing ... One, Two, Three!

What's your favorite vegan food?
I have to definitely say regular Boca burgers. I never get sick of them!

You rescued your dog—can you tell us a little about that and about her?
I recently found a dog who was walking alone in busy streets in the next town over. I kept her over night, gave her food and water then ending up finding a rescue shelter an hour away. I took her there the next day. I called in three days later to see how things were and she already had a great home! I have three rescued animals living with me now—all yorkies :).

What animal abuser are you going after next?
I think I'm going to focus a lot more on the circus. I usually always focus on everything else and haven't emailed or wrote letters as much about the circus as I have other animal right issues. I think it's because the circus doesn't come around as often either. Elephants are also my favorite animal, so I'd love to focus more on that issue.

No doubt Heather will do amazing work for elephants in the future! If you're as inspired as we are, check out the peta2 Street Team and get active!

Who is Tyler Huxley Durden? April 16, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at April 16, 2009 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 11 ) | TrackBack

Uh, only the cutest dog ever, of course! Well, okay, actually he's the companion of Thomas, a PETA staffer—and he's just probably the cutest dog ever.

Tyler loves baby carrots, chewing fingers, running through the campaigns department at lightning speed, eating doggy biscuits, and all in all, he just seriously loves life.

I don't think there's anyone in the office that doesn't love Tyler—but having him and the other dogs in the office is pretty bittersweet. Upstairs in our cruelty investigations department, our caseworkers see dogs and other animals who live lives the complete opposite of Tyler's—dogs who never know a loving touch or who live their entire lives on chains and dogs who eventually die on the end of one. So often, PETA is the shelter of last resort for animals who are victims of the overpopulation crisis or who are unwanted and suffering from injuries left untreated.

Every year 6-8 million animals end up in shelters across the United States, and of those, 4-6 million get put to death because people don't spay and neuter their animals, and because there just aren't enough good homes like Thomas'.

Thomas adopted Tyler from a rescue that drove him all the way from Oklahoma to DC to find his new home—how sweet is that? There is simply no excuse for anyone not to adopt. Anytime anyone buys a dog from a breeder or a pet store, a dog dies in a shelter—a dog just like Tyler, maybe even cuter. Maybe. The point is, dogs and other animals—whether they're cute or not—aren't things to be bought and sold. Got it? C'mon, you can't put a price on this face!


Although Tyler's life started out rough, I'm sure he couldn't be happier now. Some here in the office say he's even a bit manipulative, and he does seem to get more treats than any other dog in the office. Hmm ...


Okay, he's totally running the show...

Selena Gomez Helps Puerto Rico's Homeless Animals March 18, 2009

Posted by Patricia at March 18, 2009 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 16 ) | TrackBack
Copyright Jenny Bierlich/starmaxinc.com

The more I hear about Selena Gomez the more I like her. She's just adorable and not full of herself like some other rising teen stars (I won't mention any names), and as it turns out is a huge animal lover.

Selena's reportedly been in Puerto Rico working on the film version of her hit Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place, but that's not all she's been up to. She also did a bit of work on another film, Paradise Lost for the Dogs of Puerto Rico, to help raise awareness about the staggering number of homeless animals on the island and the hideous way they're treated.

In the video, which screams animal birth control by the way, Selena talks to people who spend their time helping the strays and hears some heart-wrenching stories. She's also shown feeding the dogs, and says she even helped vaccinate a few on the beach that day.

But Selena's efforts don't stop there, she's also holding two charity auctions on CharityBuzz.com to benefit Island Dog, Inc., and it's pretty cool stuff, too. The first one is a basket of personal items she's signed and the second is a $1000 shopping spree and lunch with Selena herself.

And she's enlisted the help of some of her famous friends like Taylor Swift, Forever the Sickest Kids, and Corbin Bleu who have also donated items for the cause.

I think Selena would be perfect for a peta2 "Angel for Animals" ad, don't you?



P.S. Did you hear that JCPenney has finally gone fur-free?! So exciting! Score another one for the rabbits, foxes, raccoons, dogs, cats, and other furry animals everywhere! And they have got some cute clothes for spring so go ahead and do some guit-free shopping.

Free Stuff Friday: Vegan Condoms December 26, 2008

Posted by Ashleigh at December 26, 2008 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 110 ) | TrackBack

Homelessness 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

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