Two things that PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk is passionate about are helping animals (no surprise there) and auto racing, so perhaps this was inevitable: After reading that NASCAR sponsorship this season is at a low, PETA has asked racing superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. to consider using the available space on his car to spread a lifesaving spay-and-neuter message.

tedmurphy | cc by 2.0 

Taking the Lead Against Overpopulation

PETA has observed firsthand the effects of animal homelessness from its work on the front lines of animal protection. In Earnhardt's home state of North Carolina, PETA's Community Animal Project (CAP) rescues animals, even when that means crawling through sewers, searching through junkyards, scaling trees, dodging cars, or enticing frightened strays to safety. CAP also delivers food, doghouses, and straw bedding to neglected animals who have never known a kind word or touch—and they return to monitor the animals' conditions, check their housing, and make sure that they have enough to eat and drink.

As PETA's letter to Earnhardt points out, around half of the 6 to 8 million animals who enter U.S. shelters each year must be euthanized for lack of enough good homes. Others never find a refuge and are left to fend for themselves on the streets, where they create more litters and often succumb to exposure or disease or even are abused by cruel people.

Speeding Toward a Solution

The solution to animal overpopulation is to reduce the birth rate through spaying and neutering—and once again, PETA is leading efforts to facilitate these vital procedures. Its mobile veterinary clinics offer low-cost to no-cost sterilization and other veterinary services in the most impoverished areas of North Carolina for families who cannot afford to have their animals fixed.

By placing a message on his car promoting spaying and neutering, Earnhardt could help his many fans understand that they can play a role in reducing the overpopulation of dogs and cats and drastically reducing their suffering.

What You Can Do

Whether your ride is a stock car or a station wagon, you can help save the lives of homeless animals by spaying and neutering your own companions and working to pass mandatory spay/neuter legislation in your community.

Update:

Great news! The Los Angeles City Council has passed the ban on selling dogs, cats, and rabbits from breeders and puppy mills in pet stores. Those stores will now be required to adopt out homeless animals from shelters instead.

This is a heaven-sent victory for homeless animals in the City of Angels—let's hope it inspires more compassionate decisions across the country!

Originally posted August 13:

Los Angeles may soon take a huge stride toward reducing the number of homeless animals—the City Council is expected to vote soon on a measure that would ban pet stores from selling dogs, cats, and rabbits obtained from any source other than an animal shelter or rescue group. The proposed regulation has already been endorsed by the Los Angeles Times editorial board.

The Sun Is Setting on Breeding

PETA, at the forefront of efforts to curb animal homelessness and overpopulation—by offering low-cost to no-cost spaying and neutering, promoting adoption, and discouraging people from buying animals from breeders and pet stores—is understandably psyched about the possibility of the country's second-largest city taking such a major step toward ending animal homelessness.

If the proposal passes, Los Angeles will join a growing number of cities that are showing that they're serious about stopping the animal homelessness crisis—and the cruel puppy mills that fuel it—by putting laws in place to block animal sales in pet stores.

It's standard practice for puppy mills to keep animals in cramped, crude, and filthy conditions without proper veterinary care or socialization.

What You Can Do

If you live in L.A., please politely ask your councilmembers to vote in favor of the proposed ordinance. And if you live elsewhere, urge your city council to pass a law to protect animals from the cruelty caused by their breeding.

Our servicemembers aren't the only ones who make sacrifices for our freedom. Their companion animals often endure frequent moves, months of not seeing one of their beloved guardians, and all the other hardships that come with life in the military. To celebrate Independence Day, PETA honored the loyal four-legged companions of servicemembers in Southeastern Virginia by offering to spay or neuter and vaccinate them for just $4 each.

Partnering with the Virginia Beach SPCA (VBSPCA), one of our mobile veterinary clinics performed the spay and neuter surgeries, and the VBSPCA administered the vaccinations. Here are just a few photos from this event, after which many military mutts and freedom felines can now declare their independence from unwanted litters and many health problems: 

Soon, Greyhound might be driving home the message about the importance of spaying and neutering. PETA is asking Greyhound Lines, Inc., to temporarily switch its well-known moniker to "Spayhound" and/or to "fix" at least one of its buses with this dog-friendly message:

Click image for larger version

 
One Greyhound bus takes an average of 19 cars off the road. Pretty impressive. But just one spay surgery can prevent 67,000 puppies  from being born—the number of puppies whom a female dog and her generations of offspring can produce in just six years. Really impressive.

We've requested a meeting with Grey … er … Spayhound's CEO, and maybe someday soon, you'll be able to hop a ride to Fixburg, Mississippi, or Spaykane, Washington. Meanwhile, whether you have a greyhound or a guess-the-hound, please make sure they get their fix.  

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

When Chase Utley isn't knocking balls out of the park, he's trying to knock out animal overpopulation. The MLB all-star posed for a new "Adopt, Don't Buy" ad with his rescued dog Jack, who was born in an animal shelter to canine parents confiscated from a dogfighting ring. Chase unveiled the ad today at the Seger Dog Park in Philadelphia to a crowd of two-legged and four-legged fans.
 

 
The homeless-animal crisis is a cause very close to Chase and his wife, Jennifer's hearts. They are both active with the Pennsylvania SPCA, and they started an annual event to raise money and awareness called Utley All-Star Animals. Check out our feature on Chase to watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of him talking about his love for animals, and then enter to win an autographed Philadelphia Phillies jersey! And, of course, join Chase in hitting a homerun for the 4 to 6 million animals who face euthanasia every year by always adopting, never buying.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

Are you the kind of guy who does everything with his dog? Are you a team player? If you're considering getting your cat or dog "snipped" and have thought about getting "fixed" yourself, PETA wants to reward you for helping to end human and animal overpopulation by picking up the tab for your vasectomy. We give out thousands of spay and neuter surgeries every year, but never before like this! Visit our "Win a Vasectomy From PETA" page to see how to get your free "snip" in a snap.
 

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow