Last Labor Day weekend, Buddy and Copper were among the dogs sitting in barren, filthy cages at animal testing hellhole Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. (PLRS). But this Labor Day weekend, the two friends are rolling in the grass, playing with other dogs, and being loved and petted at Kindness Ranch.

Courtesy Emile Hallez Williams

Kindness Ranch helps animals rescued from laboratories to heal from the torture that they've endured and finds them permanent homes. When recent visitor and PETA pal Dan Hanley met Buddy and Copper, he was inspired to write about them on his website, calling them "complete loves." Even after everything humans have put them through, these two dogs still have lots of love to give.

A PETA undercover investigation of PLRS found that dogs there spent years in cages, being force-fed experimental compounds and infested with worms. Besides the torment of the experiments themselves, laboratory workers screamed and cursed at the dogs, used pressure hoses to spray them with water and harsh chemicals, and dragged them when they would not walk. After PETA released the evidence from the investigation, PLRS shut its doors and surrendered Buddy, Copper, and nearly 250 other animals. Almost a year later, Buddy and Copper are learning to trust. Hanley said that Buddy wiggled right onto his lap, anxious for the love that he was denied for so long. Copper is a bit more reserved, and sudden movements and loud noises frighten him. He slowly makes his way toward new people, still scared but also longing for a kind word or gentle touch. After life in a cage, both dogs love to go for walks and feel soft grass beneath their paws.

By next Labor Day, Buddy's and Copper's lives will probably have changed again. By that time, they will both have homes and families to call their own.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

In a landmark move, a North Carolina grand jury has returned indictments for 14 counts of felony cruelty-to-animals against four individuals, including a supervisor, who worked at Professional Laboratory Research Services (PLRS), which was investigated by PETA last fall. This marks the first time in U.S. history that laboratory workers have faced felony cruelty charges for their abuse of animals in a laboratory and only the second time that experimenters have faced criminal prosecution for cruelty (the first stemmed from PETA's first undercover investigation, the groundbreaking 1981 Silver Spring monkeys case).
 

 
Mary Ramsey—who had been employed as a PLRS supervisor—and Jessica Detty were each indicted on five counts, while Christine Clement and Tracy Small were each indicted on two counts. The accused are among those caught on video kicking, throwing, and dragging dogs; hoisting rabbits by their ears and puppies by their throats; violently slamming cats into cages; and screaming obscenities at terrified animals. One of those named is the worker seen on video trying to rip out a cat's claws by violently pulling the animal from the fence onto which he or she clung in fear.

The state charges follow extensive citations, by federal officials for serious violations of animal welfare laws, the lab's closure, and the surrender of nearly 200 dogs and more than 50 cats just a week after we released our findings. We'll keep you updated on the criminal case as it progresses.
 

Written by Alisa Mullins

More than six months after PETA released documentation of the horrors at animal testing hellhole Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. (PLRS)—evidence so shocking that within a week the laboratory had released its dogs and cats to rescue groups up and down the East Coast and shut its doors in shame—the abusers still have not been brought to justice. PETA first met with the local district attorney nearly a year ago and showed him graphic footage of PLRS employees screaming profanities at animals, flinging cats into cages, and kicking, throwing, and dragging dogs. And still no cruelty-to-animals charges.
 

What will it take to make the government bring charges against these abusers? Maybe a few thousand e-mails from PETA Files readers will do the trick. Please take moment to speak up for these animals by sending a polite e-mail to the district attorney asking him to prosecute the PLRS workers and seek justice for all the animals who suffered at their hands.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

  Hugs was one of the roughly 250 animals who were
surrendered by PLRS.

Even though The Hasselhoffs was canceled after just two episodes, 2010 still turned out to be a pretty great year. Thirty-three Chilean miners were rescued after being trapped underground for more than two months, and dog guardians were introduced to the amazing stuffing-free Crazy Critters™ dog toys. While impressive, I am not sure they quite measure up to 2009's Shake Weight®.

2010 was also an outstanding year for PETA. In addition to celebrating 30 years of fighting to end the suffering of animals, PETA scored a number of remarkable victories. Here are a few of them:  

1.      Professional Laboratory and Research Services (PLRS): PLRS surrendered nearly 200 dogs and more than 50 cats and shut its doors just one week after PETA released the results of its shocking undercover investigation of the laboratory and filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

2.      Nike: After PETA sent Nike undercover footage detailing the gruesome suffering that the exotic-skins industry inflicts on animals, the world's leading shoe manufacturer and its upscale affiliate Cole Haan stopped selling the skins of alligators, snakes, and other animals.

3.      NASA: And who can forget the early holiday gift that PETA and our supporters received when NASA called off plans to conduct cruel radiation experiments on monkeys earlier this month? 

4.      Utah Pound Seizure: Prompted by PETA's shocking undercover investigation inside laboratories at the University of Utah, the state amended its archaic "pound seizure" law so that government-run animal shelters would no longer be forced to sell dogs and cats to laboratories for use in cruel and deadly experiments. PETA's investigation and the new law also prompted the shelter that had been selling the most animals to the university to end the shameful practice. 

5.      U.S. Global Exotics (USGE): After reviewing evidence gathered during PETA's seven-month undercover investigation of this PETCO and PetSmart supplier, Arlington (Texas) Municipal Judge Michael Smith awarded custody of the 26,000 animals rescued from the warehouse to the city of Arlington. USGE closed, the company's empty facility went up for sale, and a federal arrest warrant was issued for USGE owner Jasen Shaw, who is under investigation for smuggling, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting and is believed to be hiding in New Zealand. 

6.      ITO EN, Ltd.: After more than two years of private discussions with PETA, Japan's ITO EN, Ltd.—the world's largest green-tea manufacturer, with more than $3 billion in annual global sales—instituted a new policy against conducting animal tests. 

7.      Lufthansa: Less than a day after PETA released photos of more than 50 beagles who were transported on a Lufthansa cargo plane from the U.S. to an animal testing facility in Scotland, Lufthansa announced a new policy prohibiting the transport of dogs and cats to laboratories.

While this year was marked by some great achievements, we still need your help to make 2011 an even better year for animals. Will you support our lifesaving efforts to stop animal suffering and abuse in the new year and beyond?

Written by Frank Schippers

Picking the top 10 PETA Files blog posts of the past year was harder than figuring out the plot of Inception, but we've narrowed it down to these posts, which cover everything from Lady Gaga's meat dress to our "Pope Condom" campaign:

1. PETA's investigation of international animal dealer U.S. Global Exotics leads to the record-setting rescue of more than 26,000 animals.
2. A PETA investigation at a Pennsylvania dairy farm reveals the filthy, miserable origins of Land O'Lakes butter.
3. Worldwide outrage erupts after a girl is caught on video hurling puppies to their deaths. 
4. Leaked photos from a company that supplies animal-restraint devices to laboratories show horrifically mutilated monkeys. 
5. Lady Gaga's meat dress induces a collective gag. 
6. A laboratory investigated by PETA closes, and more than 200 animals are rescued. 
7. An orca at SeaWorld dies at roughly half most orcas' expected life span. 
8. Thousands of chickens are spared from being ground up alive. 
9. PETA's use of the pope's image on a spay/neuter leaflet touches off controversy.
10. NASA calls off its ghastly primate radiation experiments after hearing from more than 100,000 PETA members.

Which blog post got you the most fired up this year?

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

First, Professional Laboratory Research Services shut its doors just days after PETA released the findings of our disturbing undercover investigation there. Now, Covance's horrendous Vienna, Va., laboratory, which PETA investigated five years ago, is closing up shop. 

During PETA's 11-month investigation at Covance, our investigator documented that workers struck, choked, and screamed obscenities at frightened and "uncooperative" monkeys. Monkeys suffered from rectal prolapses as a result of constant stress and diarrhea, and baby monkeys' noses bled daily because workers shoved hard tubes up their nostrils to pump experimental chemicals and drugs into their stomachs. As a result of PETA's investigation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited and fined Covance for serious violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

PETA has actually been battling this laboratory for nearly two decades. I remember participating in a protest outside the facility back when Covance was known as Hazleton Research Labs, a name made famous by the book The Hot Zone, which was about the Ebola outbreak among monkeys at the now-defunct Hazleton laboratory just a few miles away in Reston, Va.

In addition to closing the hellhole in Vienna, Covance has also scrapped plans to build a massive facility in Prince William County, Va., meaning that thousands of animals will be spared years of loneliness, misery, and pain. Pop the champagne corks, folks! And let's hope that this trend involving the shuttering of animal laboratories continues into 2011.

Written by Alisa Mullins

VICTORY! PLRS Closing; More Than 200 Animals to Be Freed.

"You could cringe watching this cat being yanked from a chain-linked fence. Or gasp in disbelief when you see this dog's tooth being pulled by pliers. Snapshots of sores on dogs—heartbreaking."

Those aren't PETA's words—they're some of the opening lines of a news story about our investigation of Professional Laboratory and Research Services (PLRS). Our undercover investigation documented the shocking abuse of dogs, cats, and rabbits by employees at PLRS. The story broke in this Associated Press piece, and the abuses have caught the attention of both local and national media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog.

Facebook fans have linked our video to their newsfeeds, and PETA pals Pam Anderson, Bill Maher, and Sophia Bush have Twittered about our campaign. Now we'd like to know what actions you've taken to get the word out about animal cruelty at PLRS. Tell us below.

Written by Karin Bennett