This is the astonishing moment when one devoted man decided to risk life and limb to save his animal companion, who had fallen through the ice on a lake after chasing a group of ducks. The mischievous little dog – named Jarvis – was lucky however, and survived the icy temperatures thanks to his brave guardian Marc Greenhalgh, who defied sub-zero temperatures and plunged into the icy water.

Despite being warned by the fire service not to take the leap, Marc stripped off and waded through the ice to reach his dog, who was clinging onto the edge of the ice sheet with his front paws to stay afloat. Awww… The man of the hour said, “I didn’t think twice about it. Jarvis was in trouble and he needed my help.”

PETA is sending Marc a ‘Hero to Animals’ award for his act of compassion. Please join me in giving him a virtual pat on the back!

Images credit: Julie Brown

With her impressive filmography, incredible looks and compassion for animals, we were delighted when actress Patricia Arquette agreed to star in PETA’s new Animal Birth Control ad. I’ve been a fan of Patricia for many years, as she has starred in some of my favourite films – Little Nicky, True Romance and, being a film-geek, Lost Highway. Now, she’s making waves as psychic Allison Dubois in the hit drama Medium, coming back to our screens this Monday.

Well, here’s your chance to read an exclusive interview with Patricia, as she talks about the importance of spaying and neutering companion animals, and what she thinks of people who wear fur! Click the ad to enlarge, read more about the campaign and take action.

PETA US: The PETA US Animal Birth Control campaign was created to help put an end to the companion animal overpopulation crisis through spaying and neutering, and encouraging the adoption of animals from animal shelters, rather than purchasing them from breeders or pet shops. Why is this campaign important to you?
Patricia: One of my best friends is a woman named Whitney Smith, and she works with the REVA Foundation. … She’s constantly rescuing animals … and she’s educated me about the horrors that animals in Los Angeles face. Half a million dogs and cats are put down in California every year – [one] every three seconds. … I had heard over the years people say, “I don’t want to spay them before they have a chance to have babies”. There are half a million animals in our own state who are killed every year just because people want to have that experience.

PETA US: What are some things people can do every day to make their animal companions’ lives happy ones?
Patricia: Play with them, kiss them, pet them, walk them. Take them out whenever they can. Let them have adventures. Smell the world.

PETA US: What other animal issues are close to your heart and why?
Patricia: I don’t like fur. … My mom had a [fur] jacket from the 50s …. But the concept of buying fur today doesn’t make any sense to me. I’ve seen people in fur coats, and in my wild mind, I’m hoping someone will throw red paint on them!

Welcome back to the land of the living! I hope you had a fantastic Christmas, ate far too much, relaxed, and are raring to go for a great 2009. I happily did all of the above, and today I’ve been busy thinking of what to set as my New Year’s Resolution for 2009. Yeah, yeah, I know I should have decided before the clock struck 12 on New Year’s Eve, but hey, I was too busy partying!

My New Year’s Resolution is actually one from a feature we’ve created for all you people looking to be that teeny bit more compassionate this year but need the motivation and know-how to get the cogs in motion. And no, I’m not just shamelessly promoting the feature, there are some great ideas on there that will benefit both you and the animals. Everyone’s a winner!

So, for 2009 and onwards I will…

Over the past week, I’ve loved spending more time with my cats, and with every throw of their mangled squidgy toy their excited little eyes lit up in a way that made me realise how special they are. Sounds sickly sweet, huh? I’ll stop before I get all cootchy-wootchy, but from now on, every day before work I will throw that mangled dragon-fly toy for a while. And every day when I come home from work, I will throw him again.

Leave a comment below with your New Year’s Resolution – animal related or not! Sharing it seems to help it stick for some reason…

If you think it’s been mighty cold out there over the past few months, just think what it must be like for animals who don’t have scarves and duvets to snuggle into. In the UK, I would hope most cats and dogs are kept inside, especially during the Winter months, but we hear more and more about those that are left outside to fend for themselves – come rain or shine. Although they are equipped with fur coats, dogs and cats can still suffer from frostbite, exposure and dehydration when water sources freeze. Make sure you take good care of your companion animals this Winter by following our six simple tips:

· Take animals inside. Puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans, are particularly susceptible to the elements. Short-haired animals will also benefit from warm jumpers or coats.

· Don’t allow your cat or dog to roam freely outdoors. In cold weather, cats sometimes climb under the hoods of cars to be near warm engines and are badly injured or killed when the car is started. (By the way, to help prevent this, bang loudly on the bonnet of your car before starting the engine.) Animals can also become disoriented when there is snow or ice on the ground.

· Increase animals’ food in cold weather. In lower temperatures, animals burn more calories to keep warm. Also, ensure that animals are free of internal parasites, which can rob them of vital nutrients.

· Keep an eye out for strays. Take unidentified animals inside until you can find their guardians, or take them to an animal shelter. If strays are wild or unapproachable, provide food, water, and shelter (stray cats will appreciate a small doghouse filled with warm bedding), and call your local shelter or the RSPCA for help.

· Clean off your dogs’ or cats’ legs, feet, and stomachs if they have been outside in snow. Salt and other chemicals can make animals sick if they are ingested while the animals are cleaning themselves.

· If you see dogs left outdoors, provide them with proper shelter. Whilst ‘doghouses’ are less common in the UK, those in use should be made of wood (metal is a poor insulator) and positioned in a sunny location during cold weather. Raise the house several inches off the ground, and put a flap over the door to keep out cold drafts. Use straw for bedding (rugs and blankets can get wet and freeze).

Defra has launched consultations on the codes of practice for the welfare of cats and dogs which would be made under section 14 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Between now and the end of the year it is open to consultation, and then it will be finalised. PETA warmly welcomes these codes of practice, and a hearty thanks goes out (from companion animals everywhere too!) to Hilary Benn and all at Defra. These codes could help with prosecutions for cruelty to animals in the future, and who could disagree with that?

I notice how some people have reacted to the codes of practice and, frankly, it couldn’t be clearer why we definitely need something like this in place. Comments such as, “We’ll be given advice on how to breathe next” and “Entertain a cat?” only serve to prove how much people take their companion animals for granted, and treat them as a moving ornaments. Yes, the advice is simplistic (much like breathing) but doesn’t it just go to show how easy it can be to properly treat cats, dogs and other animals under our care.

No, it’s not enough to just feed them, and let them come and go when they like. Giving them toys, brushing and stroking them, playing with them do not ‘go beyond the basics’ – they are fundamental if we are even going to consider taking an animal into our houses. Heck, some people don’t even know how to look after themselves, let alone an animal. Perhaps we should draft up some guidelines for that too?

Here are our favourite bits:

Dogs should not be left unattended in a vehicle. In warm weather, this could be life threatening.

Your dog should have plenty of things to stimulate him or her mentally which can be provided by contact with humans or another dog and by providing safe and suitable toys to play with.

Cats have learnt to adapt to our domestic routines and how we live our lives, but they also need to be able to display their natural behaviour patterns.

One particularly important consideration is preventing the birth of unwanted kittens. You should, therefore, consider having your cat neutered.

Guys and gals, meet Amber. Amber is PETA US’ sexy new student who has a big heart for homeless animals and is encouraging you all to fall in line, with a new quiz on the ABCs of animal homelessness. For each question you get right, Amber will remove one item of clothing. Get 10 out of 10 questions right and boy, you’re in for a treat. You’ll be quizzed on everything from the importance of spaying and neutering to the significance of adopting from animal shelters instead of pet shops. I’ve just taken the test and got 100 percent, ha! Let’s see how you do, post your result here…

Rumours are circulating that adult film icon Jenna Jameson may be pregnant. Now, whether or not this is true, there’s one thing for sure – she knows the importance of birth control - animal birth control that is. That’s why Jenna has posed naked for PETA US’ latest ABC ad with the tagline ‘Sometimes Too Much Sex Can Be a Bad Thing’.

“Until dogs and cats can go on the pill or wear condoms, we need to help them practice safe sex – by spaying and neutering”, says Jenna. “Millions of homeless animals are turned in to shelters every year because there simply aren’t enough good homes for them all. The answer is easy as ABC: animal birth control, which means get Fido and Fluffy fixed!”

Every year, thousands of dogs and cats are abandoned (and often euthanised) at animal shelters in the U.K. simply because there are not enough good homes. So, what does animal birth control mean? Well, it means doing the honourable thing and always, always spaying and neutering your companion animals, and never buying from a breeder or pet shop.

Doesn’t Jenna look gorgeous?! Check out this exclusive interview with her on set…

Rippling muscles, bared teeth, blood soaked fur and jeering crowds. It may sound like a scene out of a gangster film like Snatch or Amores Perros but I’m afraid to say this kind of set-up isn’t unknown in the UK. Brandishing dogs like weapons, and using them to gain status or win money, dog-fighters aren’t only rich and famous men, like a certain American footballer named Mr Vick.

An undercover ex-soldier has unearthed a dog-fighting ring in the Middlesborough and Birmingham areas, leading to a number of arrests. He recorded dodgy deals, dogs on death-row and risks his life in making these facts known. It sickens me to think this is going on under our noses, whatever happened to the notion of ‘man’s best friend’? Bravo ‘Steve’, whoever you are – more men like you, please!

Every now and then, I get emails through that make me laugh so much my sides hurt. I won’t go into too much detail, the email discussion between Ingrid and MEP Roger Helmer speaks for itself. If you want to know what the devil they’re on about, check back on this entry I posted late last month about the push for the UK to adopt higher animal welfare laws like the Swiss.

18 June 2008

Dear Roger,

Thank you for your abominably rude and ignorant letter: It is worthy of being framed!

I took a chance on including you in the letter to Members of Parliament in which I suggested that Britain - universally known as a “nation of animal lovers” - not take a back seat to Switzerland and other countries with progressive animal protection legislation. Specifically, these countries have legislation that recognises that many cruelty-to-animals cases would never occur if people who want to take a dog or cat into their homes were required to pass a basic animal care test.

I knew a few things about you - including that you are a global-warming denier and an award-winning environmental disaster (Friends of the Earth, was it?); that you had mocked homosexuals’ “sensitivity”; and that you are otherwise hopelessly out of touch - but I thought there might be a tiny chance you could understand that cruelty to animals is something that needs to be prevented.

I also thought perhaps you realised that many young people today do not know anything about the needs of cats and dogs and how to care for these animals. They haven’t a clue that dogs can’t perspire (as people do) and leave them tied in the heat or locked in a car in summer; haven’t a clue about the nutritional needs of dog and cats are and starve them; and often haven’t a clue that dogs and cats have emotions, feelings and needs and treat them as if they are stuffed toys or punching bags. However, it turns out it is you who hasn’t a clue. 

I don’t mean to be harsh, but don’t you think it might be time for you to see that you are a dinosaur in a changing world? If your name lives on, it might be because your letter is one that children in future generations will see used in textbooks to illustrate how entrenched and unenlightened even well-placed people were in 2008. Even slave runners changed their opinions. If you don’t change your opinion on issues like protecting the environment and animals, that will be a shame.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E Newkirk

Founder

—
Dear Ingrid,

Thank you for your letter of June 10th, regarding what you quaintly describe as “companion animals”.  I take it you mean pets.

You are asking that all dog owners should be required to take a training course and an exam.  I thought at first this must be some kind of spoof, but I see that it is not April 1st.

I spend most of my time trying to reduce pointless and unnecessary regulation in the EU, and to resist the tide of the Nanny State.  I am certainly not about to support a measure like this.

Its main effect would be to greatly increase the number of abandoned animals, and animals kept in refuges because no homes could be found.  Why don’t you have the honesty to admit that this has nothing to do with animal welfare, and everything to do with your real agenda — the criminalisation of pet ownership?

Best regards.

ROGER HELMER

Remember me telling you about the grossly irresponsible FlexPetz ‘rent-a-dog’ scheme? Well, one MP has taken it upon himself to do something about it, by tabling an early day motion in opposition to the company. He says, “Dogs are not jewellery or dinner suits to be used for a day and then returned.” Couldn’t have put it better myself. Read the full story here.