In February, two PETA staffers volunteering with our Community Animal Project's straw-delivery program came upon a malnourished pit bull caged in a Portsmouth, Virginia, backyard, and living in filth. 

The pen in which Blackie was kept 24/7 was "wall-to-wall" trash, filth, and feces. There was no food, no drinkable water, and no adequate shelter from the elements. A bucket inside the pen contained disgusting, murky, partially frozen rainwater and algae. The only "shelter" available to Blackie on this cold and rainy day was half of a plastic doghouse turned upside-down. The man who identified himself as the person responsible for Blackie told our volunteers that he was looking to "get rid of the dog"—so we gladly obliged and whisked Blackie away. Blackie was elated to be out of his own waste and happily hopped right into our rescue van. He never looked back.

Dog Up (for Adoption), Abuser Down (by Law)

At PETA's shelter, Blackie enjoyed a heated room, a sofa to lounge on, fresh food and water (which he gobbled up!), and regular walks. He also got—no doubt for the first time ever—a bath. Our veterinarian found Blackie to be 20 percent underweight and suffering from a severe hookworm infestation. After a few days of treatment (and plenty of TLC) at PETA, Blackie—since renamed Jabber—was transferred to the Portsmouth Humane Society. He's gained 11 pounds since his rescue and now awaits adoption.

You'll be glad to know that Jabber's former owner isn't faring nearly so well: After PETA's witnesses testified in court, a judge found the man guilty of cruelty to animals, saying that he found the evidence "shocking" and that it was "no condition to keep a dog in." He was sentenced to pay a $250 fine and spend one month in jail and is also forbidden from owning "pets of any kind" for two years. If he does not maintain good behavior for two years, his sentence will increase to a $500 fine and six months in jail.

What You Can Do

Jabber is just one of the many dogs and cats who've had rough starts in life but are now ready for adoption at shelters. If you're looking to add an animal (or two) to your family, please give them the homes they so richly deserve—never buy animals from breeders or pet shops. And if you ever see an animal in distress, please, be ready to help. 

Just what exactly is PETA doing to help combat the animal overpopulation crisis and provide vulnerable animals with assistance? This infographic breaks it down:

What You Can Do

Help animals in your neighborhood as well as low-income areas get spayed and neutered, promote adoption from animal shelters instead of buying from breeders or pet stores, and demand appropriate animal-care standards in your community.

Visit PETASaves.com for more information.

The pomp and pageantry of the Westminster dog show is over. Many of the dogs have been shipped back to their breeders after living in their handlers' crates for years. Now, the females will be forced to bear litter after litter of puppies, only to have them all taken away to be sold. Every year following Westminster, there is a rush to buy dogs of the winning breed and other "designer dogs" who appeared on the screen. And breeders and pet stores are happy to oblige, taking as many orders as they can get and raking in money hand over fist.

In an industry in which dogs are viewed as commodities, their health and well-being matter less than the bottom line. To minimize expenses, breeders and puppy mills commonly warehouse breeder dogs in tiny, filthy cages; deny them veterinary care; and repeatedly get them pregnant, until the dogs can no longer produce puppies—at which point, they are often auctioned off, discarded at shelters, or killed.

Just this month, in yet another horror story, authorities raided a breeder and dog-show judge's home and found 38 dogs living in small crates that were caked with feces and fur. The cages were piled on top of one another in the dark basement, and a radio blared to drown out the sound of barking. Many of the dogs were malnourished and suffering from eye diseases and severe periodontal disease. They were so sick that 13 of them had to be euthanized immediately.

People who buy dogs from breeders or pet stores keep these puppy pimps in business. They also kill a shelter dog's chance at a home. Please, urge anyone you know who is considering buying a dog to adopt instead.

How much does that doggie in the window cost? One shelter dog's sad life.

Breeders and puppy mills churn out litter after litter of puppies, charging buyers hundreds of dollars per dog and raking in money hand over fist. The fact that they often cram dogs into filthy outdoor kennels and deny them veterinary care, while also forcing them to endure pregnancy after pregnancy, is bad enough.

But they also flood the market with puppies, exacerbating the animal homelessness crisis. In the U.S. alone, animal shelters must euthanize between 3 and 4 million animals every year. As long as there aren't enough homes for existing animals, no dog breeder can be called "responsible"—only "greedy."

Please share this lifesaving reminder on your Facebook, Twitter, and other social network sites.

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 a host of hereditary defects —it's estimated that one in four purebred dogs suffers from serious congenital health problems. After two veterinarians diagnosed Floyd with congenital kidney disease, his guardian urged the breeder to stop breeding the puppy's parents and notify the other people who had bought puppies from the same litter. The breeder callously dismissed her concerns, so she contacted officials with the American Kennel Club, but they merely suggested that she give the breeder a bad review online.

By the time PETA learned of Floyd's condition, the puppy was desperately ill, vomiting, lethargic, and barely able to eat or drink. Since he suffered from other health problems as well, a veterinarian determined that Floyd was a poor candidate for a transplant, the only treatment for his disease.

PETA's caseworker explained to Floyd's guardian that breeders frequently sell sick dogs and that the law often protects breeders more than the animals and their guardians. Floyd's guardian made the difficult but merciful decision to prevent Floyd from enduring further misery by having him euthanized.

What You Can Do

There is no such thing as a responsible breeder. Aside from the health problems that purebred dogs have, each dog and cat bred and sold by a breeder takes a home away from another animal waiting to be adopted at an animal shelter. Please don't contribute to the animal overpopulation crisis by buying animals from pet shops or breeders—always adopt from a reputable animal shelter or rescue.

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.

When PETA India Science Policy Adviser Dr. Chaitanya Koduri and his wife, Vidya, found Laila, she was a terrified puppy alone on the streets of Mumbai. But after the couple welcomed her into their home, giving her the care and affection that every dog deserves, Laila blossomed into, as Dr. Koduri describes, "this beautiful, naughty girl who will never get tired of playing. She needs to put her nose into anything and everything."

As you can see, Laila—showing her paws decorated with golden turmeric—gladly joined in the family festivities on Ganesha Chaturthi, which celebrates the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu deity with the head of an elephant. 

What You Can Do

As Laila's story shows, people who offer homes to animals in need not only save those animals' lives but also fill their own homes and hearts with boundless love. Please never buy from breeders or pet shops—always adopt. 

Fun fact: October is National Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month. And PETA—always an advocate for adoption—knows just how you can celebrate: Adopt a dog from a shelter already!

Buying a dog from a pet store or breeder means one fewer home for a dog in a shelter—adding to the millions of dogs and cats who must be euthanized each year for lack of good homes. So PETA never misses a chance to tell everyone within earshot how adopting dogs from shelters lowers euthanasia rates while also saving animals from fighting to survive on the streets. That's a win-win situation, right there. Plus, shelter dogs are just so darn lovable, so win-win-win!

But don't take our word for it—we've called in the experts to make the case. Since every month should honor shelter dogs, here are 14 indisputable reasons why you should always adopt, never buy:

1.

Mollie

2.

Madie

3.

Tyson

4.

Domino

5.

Callie

6.

Tina

7.

Lily

8.

Pia

9. & 10.

Emma and Charlee

11.

Toki

12.

Scampy

13. & 14.

Turk and Moe Moe

"I just think about these animals that are there for months …. And the way they kill them—it's just not needed, it's not a necessity," said actor Mayte Garcia, speaking out against fur farms on the set of the new ad she shot for PETA. "Doing this shoot and getting into the cage and putting on the fur coat—it was overwhelming," she added. But while being caged and drenched in blood isn't anyone's idea of a good time, Mayte is hopeful that her graphic ad will make people think twice about buying the skins of animals who, as the ad makes clear, were "electrocuted, stomped on, beaten, and skinned alive." 

Photo: Kawai Matthews/AirPhilosphy.com Hair/makeup: Molly Greenwald/www.mollygreenwald.com

"[I]f I can educate one person to how these animals are treated, then I'll do it again," Mayte said on her reality show, VH1's Hollywood Exes, which filmed her PETA shoot. (Mayte is the famous "Hollywood ex" of Prince.) In this behind-the-scenes video, Mayte revealed the childhood experiences that made her want to speak up for animals and why she believes that everyone should adopt homeless animals instead of buying from breeders and pet stores, spay and neuter their animals, go vegetarian, and, of course, refuse to wear real fur. 

Follow Mayte's lead in standing up to the fur industry by joining the thousands of people who have already signed our Pledge to Be Fur-Free, and always speak out about the cruelty of fur.

June is "Adopt a Shelter Cat" Month, and I implore anyone who has the time, resources, energy and love to devote to a cat to consider opening their hearts and homes to a feline (or two!) in need. Shelters are overflowing with cats of every stripe—from frisky kittens to loyal "lap cats."

(c) Kencredible

As The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights points out, this is because breeders insist on cranking out more litters, pet shop owners know that they can make a buck by selling kittens and too many people don't consider the consequences of not having their cats (or the ones they've been feeding by the back door) spayed or neutered. 

On any given day, the number of stray and surrendered cats who pass through animal shelters' doors far exceeds that of the people who are qualified and willing to give them homes. This leaves shelters in the heartbreaking position of having to euthanize many cats in order to accommodate the newcomers.

Adopting is important, but in the end, it's like trying to bail out a sinking ship with a teaspoon. We can bail for all we're worth, but the ship is going to go down anyway unless we plug the hole in the bottom. Preventing more cats and dogs from ending up homeless in the first place, by passing mandatory spay/neuter legislation and restricting breeding, is the solution.

Read the entire article on Huffington Post.