Newsflash: Cows on dairy farms aren't happy. In fact, they are quite the opposite.

So how is it that the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) can continue to claim that the "best" cheese comes from California's supposedly ecstatic cows?

You know the ads—the one with a handful of free-roaming, robust cows cavorting sassily under a cheerful California sky? Apparently we're expected to believe that all cows used on dairy farms in California look like this …

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… as opposed to this:

In the past, we've had some choice words on the subject of California's supposedly happy cows. In 2002, PETA filed suit against the CMAB for false advertising—but the California Supreme Court refused to hear the case on the grounds that as a government agency, the CMAB can’t be sued for violating California state advertising laws.*

But we kept fighting the good fight against the CMAB's false advertising with a series of "Unhappy Cow" demonstrations and public service announcements, including a few starring the man himself, animal crusader James Cromwell. And now, on the heels of our most recent undercover investigation inside a dairy farm, the time has come to return to the trenches.

We're filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, calling on it to make the CMAB stop lying to consumers about the way cows on dairy farms are treated. "Happy cow" ads mislead consumers into believing that California dairy cows are pasture raised, free roaming, and grass fed and live in conditions that make them "happy" (i.e., that they are well cared for, content, comfortable, and healthy). In reality, these cows are drugged up, over-milked, and denied even the most basic care. Doesn't sound like a "happy cow" to me.

Posted by Amanda Schinke

*Let's put aside how alarming one might find the idea of a government not subject to regulation.

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Painful and traumatic, declawing is really 10 separate amputations in which the last joint of every single toe gets cut off along with the nail. Declawing a cat is the equivalent of cutting a person's fingers off at the first knuckle and leads to gradual weakening of cats' legs, shoulders, and back muscles. Declawed cats are more likely to have behavior "problems" such as avoiding the litterbox and biting, and they are commonly surrendered to shelters by frustrated guardians.

Germany and other parts of Europe have outlawed declawing as a form of cruelty, and many conscientious veterinarians in the U.S. refuse to declaw because they realize that all someone needs to do to save their furniture (or whatever other lame excuse people come up with to justify mangling their kitties) is take the time to simply trim their cats' nails and buy proper scratching posts.

The Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and Berkeley city councils will be considering or voting on declawing bans this week, so please tell anyone you know in these cities to send an urgent e-mail to their councilmembers today.

Posted by Heather Drennan (with help from Wellington)

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That sentence in the Central Valley Business Times says it all. California state proved it was full of animal-friendly folk when Prop. 2 passed last year, and now lawmakers in the state have just signed a law that will make the docking of cows' tails illegal starting this January!

During our recent undercover investigation on a Pennsylvania factory farm, our investigator witnessed tail-docking on a number of occasions. The tails of cows were removed by "banding"—which means that circulation to the tail was cut off using an elastic band, which caused the cows' tails to slowly lose blood flow and die. Once the tail is necrotic and lifeless, it is snapped off by a farm worker. Tails act as natural flyswatters for cows, who have no other way to chase off insects or stop them from biting. Once the cows on this farm had their tails removed, they still tried in vain to rid their bodies of flies, who were rampant in the manure-slicked barn.

Tail-docking is just one of the many horrendous abuses inflicted on animals on factory farms and is a practice that even the notoriously hypocritical AVMA opposes.

Cheers to the California legislature for taking this important step.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

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In the cruel neuroscience experiments conducted at the university, undergrads were drilling holes into rats' skulls, damaging their brains with chemicals, and forcing them to perform in behavioral experiments to assess the brain damage they inflicted. Then the rats were killed. Following a complaint filed by PETA that included suggestions for non-animal alternatives, as well as thousands of e-mails, letters, and phone calls from our supporters, UC–Irvine conducted a review of the experiment and decided that modern, effective non-animal methods will now be used instead of animals.

Because of this victory, as many as 200 rats will be saved from suffering each year.

This is great news, but animals are still suffering in other labs, so it's no time to rest on our laurels.

Case in point: At Arizona State University (ASU), baby rats are killed in classroom experiments in which students remove the animals' small intestines and uteruses. In other experiments, frogs' brains are destroyed when pins are stuck through their skulls, and rabbits have holes cut into their chests and are injected with various drugs before being killed.

Please take a moment to contact ASU and urge the school to follow the example of UC–Irvine by putting an end to the use of animals in classroom laboratories once and for all.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

Thank you "soy" much!

Eight raging wildfires have consumed more than 140,000 acres in California over the past week. While thousands of people have been evacuated, crews of brave firefighters have headed in to battle the flames.

As a way of thanking the courageous firefighters for all their hard work, PETA sent a contingent of "cuties" to California with delicious, dairy-free Tofutti Cuties frozen desserts.

If only the fires would disappear as quickly as our tasty treats.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

Just like the Beach Boys, we wish they all could be California girls—because California girls put on one heck of a protest! Check out these Left Coast ladies in action outside Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California:

Credit also goes to the California boys who attended the protest, including Scott Adams, a retired paramedic who used to teach trauma training courses (without using animals, of course). As he told a reporter for North County Times, "If I hadn't taught trauma, I probably wouldn't have formed such a strong opinion. They could use human cadavers; that would more closely mimic what they're trying to teach."

If you want to see for yourself what the protesters are up in arms about, check out the graphic photos that PETA has obtained of pigs who were stabbed, mutilated, and killed by Deployment Medicine International, the military contractor that conducts trauma training exercises for Camp Pendleton. After viewing the photos, please send an e-mail urging the government to stop stabbing and shooting animals and start using non-animal alternatives in all trauma training exercises.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

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At that time, we called for the racing industry to eliminate, at a minimum, some of its most abusive practices, including permanently banning the use of whips.

In an encouraging sign, California's Del Mar Racetrack has just announced that it has officially banned the use of hard leather whips and will only allow softer riding crops on the track. These softer crops will not sting or leave welts on horses like traditional hard leather whips do.

All whips should be banned outright, but considering that this reform comes on the heels (hooves?) of similar improvements by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, it seems that the industry is getting the message that "business as usual" won't fly anymore.

Of course, while these are steps in the right direction, the racing industry is still far from humane. Young horses are still forced to race before their bones are fully mature, horses are pumped with drugs so that they can run while injured, and "retired" racehorses are still sent to slaughter—and these are just some of the many abuses that horses endure in the racing industry. The only way to stop the cruelty altogether is to end horse racing once and for all.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

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Introduced by state Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, SB 250 would require that nearly all dogs and free-roaming cats be spayed or neutered. (Breeders would be required to obtain permits to keep unaltered animals.) California spends $250 million every year to shelter homeless animals, many of whom are eventually euthanized.

If it passes the State Assembly, SB 250 will save lives. After Santa Cruz County enacted similar legislation, the number of euthanized animals dropped by 60 percent, so it's crucial that this legislation becomes law.

Concerned Californians—please don't wait to write a letter (calls and e-mails won't be effective at this time) to your state assemblymember in support of SB 250. Put this quick, simple task on today's "To Do" list and it can lead to a huge victory for animals on tomorrow's "Ta-da!" list.

Posted by Karin Bennett

PETA's naked "snakes" have been spotted recently on both coasts, drawing attention to the cruelty inflicted on scaly species who are killed for their skins. Not since Rebecca Romijn slinked around in painted-on scales as Mystique for the X-Men trilogy have people found reptiles so alluring.

In New Haven, Connecticut, many appreciative Yale students were drawn in by this sultry snake. One woman was so moved that she penned a poem about the display.

Media buzzed around our demo in Santa Cruz, California, as crews from The Santa Cruz Sentinel, Metro Santa Cruz, KSMS-TV, and Inside Santa Cruz lined up to interview the demonstrators, who pointed out that animal skins are not "eco-chic."

Our sexy "snake" and a team of supporters braved the cold rain to bare the facts—that snakes and alligators suffer when they're skinned alive for their hides.

Thanks to everyone who's helping to tip the scales in favor of kindness over killing.

Posted by Karin Bennett

Forbes magazine recently unveiled its annual list of the country's top 10 most miserable cities, and the winners losers include Chicago, Illinois; Stockton, California; Memphis, Tennessee; and Modesto, California.

The cities were graded on mood-killing triggers such as traffic, employment loss, crime rate, and, of course, weather. But what about the foods that the residents of these cities eat?

We're urging folks to turn their frowns upside down by adopting a vegetarian diet, and in Modesto we are pitching our new billboard, which features the message "Put a smile on your face. Go vegetarian."

We hope to make life a little easier on animals on factory farms as well as those humans who haven't realized that meat is a big fat downer.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

PETA took these pig displays to grocery stores around California to get the word out about Prop 2

We are so pleased to report that—thanks to your hard work—two important ballot initiatives passed yesterday, making history for animals. California voters approved Proposition 2 by a large majority, which will ban some of the worst cruelty to animals who are raised for food in that state: keeping egg-laying chickens in battery cages so small that they can't spread their wings, keeping veal calves in crates for their entire miserable short lives, and keeping pregnant pigs in crates that are so small that they can't take a step forward or backward or turn around. Animals on farms in California will be given these basic necessities by 2015, but we will continue to spread the message that the best thing that people can do to help animals is stop eating them altogether.

On the other side of the country, Question 3 passed, which will ban greyhound racing in the state of Massachusetts by 2010. Dogs who are used for racing typically spend 20 hours per day confined to cages measuring only 32 in. by 42 in. by 34 in. Many of the dogs can't even stand completely upright. The animals are also highly susceptible to injuries, including fractures, dislocations, lacerations, and amputations. And because they're no longer of use to the industry after they are injured, injured dogs are often simply killed.

The impact of both of these important initiatives is tremendous for the millions of animals whose lives will be affected by them. Our heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you who worked toward their passage. We really are making a difference.

Posted by Joel Bartlett

If you live in California—or even if you don't!—you've probably heard all about Prop 2, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act. Prop 2 concerns a law that would take effect in 2015 to eliminate veal crates, gestation crates, and battery cages in California. In other words, calves, sows, and hens would finally be given enough space to simply turn around, lie down, and stretch their limbs.

Although we at PETA would, of course, prefer that no animals be killed for food whatsoever, lessening the hell that these animals are put through is something that can be accomplished right now—on November 4, in fact, when Californians go to the polls.

Among the many voices clamoring in support of Prop 2 are Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles stars Lena Headey and Thomas Dekker, who have come together with us to help explain why Prop 2 is so important. Enjoy it, spread it around—and vote "Yes!" on Prop 2!

Posted by Amanda Schinke

You know how we always say that chickens are the most abused animals on the planet? Well, watch this horrific video and you'll see why. A new investigation by our friends at Mercy for Animals has once again exposed the cruelty behind the egg industry. Undercover footage taken at one of the largest egg farms in California documented that workers were swinging chickens around by their necks in a heartless attempt to kill them. Chickens were crammed into filthy wire battery cages so small that they could barely move. Left to suffer with untreated injuries, infections, and open wounds, the chickens were forced to live side-by-side with the decomposing bodies of their cagemates for weeks on end.

Every time animal advocates investigate egg factory farms, they expose horrific cruelty just like this. Fortunately, there are a couple of things that we can do about it. First of all, ditch the eggs from your diet (if you haven't done so already). If you don't buy eggs, no one has to suffer to make them, right? Secondly, you can help banish battery cages in California. This November, Californians will have the opportunity to pass Proposition 2, which would require that farmed animals be given enough room to stand up, turn around, lie down, and extend their limbs. If you live in California, please vote YES on Proposition 2 and encourage your friends and family members to do the same.

Even if you're not living in Cali, you can still help. Click here for more information about how you can support this historic ballot initiative.

Posted by Amy Elizabeth

The war in Iraq may be thousands of miles away and across one good-sized ocean, but there's another scuffle going on over desert lands that are closer to home. U.S. soldiers are in a territory dispute with one of the Mohave's oldest inhabitants: California Tortoises.

LA Weekly reports that after years of coexisting with these slow-moving, gentle animals—listed as threatened under federal and state endangered species acts—the U.S. military at Fort Irwin, California, has taken measures to airlift these native tortoises to another section of the Mojave, more than 20 miles from their home.

Click the photo to view the slideshow at LAWeekly.com Credit: C.R. Stecyk III

The tortoises, who in recent decades thrived on the restricted-access lands, are now having to survive on foreign grounds in a much busier, more unstable, and completely unfamiliar environment. Plus, they're now at a greater risk of danger from vehicles, hikers, campers, and mines.

Way back in 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed a Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan, which led to the construction of six critical habitat areas—and guess what? One of those habitats consists of much of the land currently occupied by Fort Irwin—and the land Fort Irwin wants.

The reason for relocating these reptiles? Military folks at the southern California training base need more land space to play their war games. Fort Irwin is a Hollywood-built Iraq—it's a perfect replica, complete with actors who portray shepherds, prisoners, lawyers, and any other individuals who stroll the Iraqi streets.

With all the strategizing, simulating, role-playing, and lifesaving training going on—not to mention the bottomless pit of cash the military seems to be harboring—the military should at least take a few moments to teach their soldiers compassion for all living creatures and be able to devise a better plan for the safety of these animals.

In an attempt to halt expansion plans, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a federal lawsuit against the Army and the Bureau of Land Management. This battle is sure to continue, and we'll be on guard.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

Though our "Meet Your Meat" video has always been successful at reaching people, wouldn't it be so much more effective if people had to watch it right before they went shopping for groceries? For shoppers at an Albertsons grocery in San Diego yesterday, that's just what we arranged.

Shoppers entering the store were greeted with two lifelike statues of pigs in gestation crates, allowing them to see firsthand the cruelty that pork, ham, sausage, and bacon purchases support. The statues illustrate the way that sows who are used for breeding are crammed into tiny, isolated metal crates—much like a jail cell fitted around their bodies—for months at a time. This is just one part of the life of hell that is guaranteed to pigs on factory farms, as a recent undercover investigation has shown.

Why Albertsons in San Diego? Assuming you haven't been living under a rock (where did that expression come from?), you've probably heard of California's "Proposition 2," which will appear on the state ballot this November. It includes many items related to space allotment (read: cage size) which would improve the plight of factory-farmed animals—picking up where the sorely lacking federal Animal Welfare Act left off.

Of course, even if you're not registered to vote in California, there's still something you can do to help—don't eat animals, duh!

Posted by Sean Conner

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This landmark bill is the first of its kind in the nation to protect sick and injured farmed animals from further torture. Animals on factory farms suffer such injuries so frequently that the industry has a term for them: "downers." Downed animals can suffer immensely as they are either dragged to slaughter or left to die from their ailments—a truly unimaginable hell to suffer through. I think that our downed cow story really had an impact on the passing of this bill. The story is just completely heartbreaking, compelling, and all too common. The good thing is that this story really inspired people to do the right thing and get this bill PASSED.

The frequency of this is staggering. Each year, millions of animals arrive for slaughter either already dead or too sick or injured to walk. This comes from a lifetime of abuse on factory farms, followed by transport to slaughter through all sorts of weather extremes.

"California cannot allow unscrupulous slaughterhouse operators to endanger the safety of America's food supply and engage in grotesquely cruel practices. [This bill] is an important step toward … basic decency to farm animals, and I am delighted that the Governor has signed it into law," said Assemblymember Krekorian, who introduced the bill.

Now if only federal laws were changed to extend this most basic consideration to farmed animals nationwide …

Posted by Sean Conner

What was the California Healthy Pets Act has become "Dogs and Cats—Nonspayed or Unneutered: Civil Penalties"—a far cry from the lifesaving legislation that was originally presented to the California Legislature last year.

Although we can support the amended and nearly not recognizable bill because it implements some spaying and neutering of animals (only following running at large and impoundment multiple times), it completely ignores the breeders who are bringing more animals into this world when 6 to 8 million enter our nation's animal shelters each year. These shelters must put to death nearly 4 million dogs and cats every year because of simple math: too many animals and not enough worthy adoptive homes.

This new bill sends a message that the overpopulation of cats and dogs isn't at a crisis level and isn't something that every single litter impacts in a very negative way. Buying an animal from a breeder adds up to killing a homeless animal in an animal shelter. Yet vital legislation that will help reduce the overpopulation crisis in California was changed so drastically that it doesn't even address a major component of the crisis: Breeders kill shelter dogs' chances.

It's time we hold accountable those who are major contributors to the death of millions of animals each year. Organizations like the American Kennel Club (AKC) continue to oppose lifesaving spay/neuter legislation, even though there are exemptions that allow breeding with permits, as AB 1634 did. No one hates euthanasia more than the shelter workers who are forced to hold the syringes, yet it is really folks like the breeders from the AKC who are responsible for the killing. Really, breeders, how do you sleep at night?

See our animal birth control (ABC) campaign for more information.

Posted by Christine Dore

Update: The California Healthy Pets Act has passed the Assembly, and is on its way to the State Senate Committee! Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to push the bill this far — I’ll keep you updated on the Senate vote as it progresses.

California's Healthy Pets Act just got a lot more Hollywood support with a new celebrity-filled petition. Star Trek's Captain Kirk, Grey’s Anatomy hottie Katherine Heigl, Studio 60's Bradley Whitford, and CSI's Jorja Fox, along with Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling, director Richard Linklater, and more than a dozen other Hollywood stars, including Captain Kirk, have signed a PETA petition pledging support for Assembly Bill 1634—the California Healthy Pets Act—which mandates spay-neuter surgeries for cats and dogs. The bill is scheduled for a floor vote this week. Did I mention Captain Kirk signed the petition?!?! (I know it’s not the first time PETA's teamed up with The Captain, but it’s the first time I got to report on it. Thanks for understanding.)

This petition is just the latest act of celebrity support for the bill. In recent weeks funny guy Bill Maher recorded a “New Rule” supporting the bill and PETA released another PSA for the bill featuring Kevin Nealon, Mike White, Ami James, and other celebs.

It's not just celebrities who are coming out in support of this bill. The Healthy Pets Act has already gained support from hundreds of animal protection organizations, veterinarians, city police departments. The vote is coming up early this week and if you live in California the animals need your support. Please use our handy web form to contact your assembly person today. If you won’t do it for the animals’ sake, do it for The Captain.

Click the image below to view the full petition.

If you've seen Bill Maher's brilliant HBO show, Real Time With Bill Maher, you'll be familiar with his 'New Rules' segment, in which he lays down a few hilarious regulations for a better America that, if there were any justice in the world, would be codified into law on the spot. We're hoping that's exactly what happens with Maher's latest "New Rule," which is designed to help put a stop to the dumping of more than 800,000 unwanted animals in California animal shelters every year by encouraging the state's residents to support Assembly Bill 1634—the California Healthy Pets Act. As he says in the video,

“Unlike the catastrophes in this world we feel powerless to change—hurricanes, al Qaeda, Britney’s hair—you can do something about this. Have the balls to get your pet spayed or neutered.”

Check that bad boy out, then, if you live in California, click here for more information on how to contact your Assembly Member about turning this new rule into a state law.

As you probably know, our country is in the midst of an extreme companion animal overpopulation crisis, and unfortunately, California (where some estimate that nearly a half million dogs and cats are euthanized for lack of good homes annually) is no exception.

Fortunately, a life-saving piece of legislation that would address this crisis—Assembly Bill 1634—has been introduced in the California Assembly, and if it becomes law, AB 1634 would prohibit any person from owning or possessing any unaltered cat or dog over the age of four months, unless that person purchases an intact-animal permit. Violators would be fined, and the money raised from the fines would be used to fund free and low-cost spay and neuter programs.

The cool thing about this legislation is that it would make California a safer place for people and save animal lives. According to one Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, male dogs who are not neutered are almost three times more likely to attack a human being than are those who are sterilized, so this really is a win-win proposition.

If you happen to live in California, please politely urge your assembly member (click on the links for “Find My District” and “Member Directory” on the left side of the page) to support AB 1634. And please forward this information to anyone you know who does live there.