Mike White's dog looks like a pig—and for that, we're grateful. It was Mike's unique-looking canine companion who first inspired him to try a vegan diet—and now the creative mastermind behind such quirky comedies as Year of the Dog, School of Rock, Nacho Libre, and The Good Girl has stepped in front of the camera to star in a brand-new veggie testimonial for PETA.

"You know I have a dog who looks like a pig," Mike explains in the PSA, "and I would look at him and I'd think, 'You know, I cannot eat pig anymore.'"

It's true—there are so many reasons not to eat pigs. One of them is that they are even smarter than dogs.

Mike also sat down for an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview, in which he told us of yet another great reason to go vegan—for your health!

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Let's see: Saving animals' lives and drastically improving your health. If you're wondering where you can sign up for such amazing rewards, look no further.

Posted by Amanda Schinke

examiner / CC

A recent article on UsMagazine.com notes that Octomom Nadya Suleman is considering adding another member to her brood.

No, she's not thinking about having any more babies (at least as far as we know). She's considering bringing a pig into her home.

Actually, into her home isn't quite correct. She wants to buy a pig, put a diaper on him or her, and have him or her live outside—because of the smell.

Pigs are intelligent, social creatures with complex needs. Throwing such a sensitive animal into a mix of 14 kids who won't understand him or her—and expecting him or her to live outside—is no way to treat a family companion.

So, we've written Nadya to ask her to reconsider her plans. Instead of adding another mouth to feed, we hope that she'll focus on the 14 that she already has.

And if compassion doesn't change her mind, hopefully the fear of pig flu will.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

the clones / CC

Short of dogfighting, there isn't any lower activity than abusing animals for the sake of art. Anyone who has a tattoo knows that you voluntarily tough it out and do it in stages, but Belgian artist Wim Delvoye has apparently put countless pigs—who have extremely sensitive skin—through hours of tattooing, covering their whole backs and down their sides in designs that range from religious emblems and Disney princesses to Louis Vuitton's logo.

Pig skin closely resembles human skin in sensitivity, so just imagine what the pigs endured by being jabbed with a needle over and over and over and over and over again—by a giant person who has restrained them and seems to have no end point in mind. The sheer intensity of the anxiety, fear, and confusion that these animals go through as they fail to understand what is happening to them is an atrocity in and of itself.

If life imitates art, what's this artist's life like, do you think? One presumes that these pigs will eventually be slaughtered for their skin—in the name of meat, art, or fashion. So please give a thought to the pigs and other animals: Check your closet for leather bags and other items, then ask yourself: Should you really hang that piece of "art" on your arm or over your shoulder?

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

reuters / CC

Oh, how I do love a tearjerker with a happy ending! So here's a lovely one for you: A tenderhearted businessperson in China, named Fan Jianchuan, recently took in a resilient pig who survived 36 days without food after May's devastating earthquake in Sichuan. With the deepest appreciation for Fan's generous pledge to care for Zhu for the rest of his days, our friends over at PETA Asia-Pacific honored Fan with a Compassionate Action award.

The little pig, named Zhu Jianqiang or "Strong Pig," was trapped under rubble and emaciated after only eating charcoal and drinking rain water to survive!

In light of the tragic Midwest floods—in which pigs swam for days to get to safety, only to be shot to death, which is just one horror story among so many—the rescue of Strong Pig from the rubble of such a devastating natural disaster is a beautiful glimmer of hope, right? I told you this was heartwarming. These pigs—who were supposed to be slaughtered in two parts of the world where pork is a staple food—desperately struggled for their lives right along with humans, and it leave no doubt as to pigs' commonality with us.

While knowing that this little guy has a safe place to lay his head from now on is reason enough to love this story, I've got to admit to the little kick that I get out of thinking about the folks who view these intelligent beings as no more than "food" getting a glimpse into the human-like quality of their dinner.

Posted by Missy Lane

Few things in life go together as perfectly as peanut butter and jelly or pigs and mud, but music and animal rights is definitely one of those perfect pairs.

It's been a sad few years since a little band by the name of Weezer—you may have heard of them—have had any new tunes. Well, the boys with those oh-so-catchy-lyrics are back with a brilliant self-titled album (a.k.a. The Red Album), which was just released on June 3. And here's the really terrific part: The bonus track, "Pig," contains a great animal rights message. Here's an excerpt:

But now, I've got to die
I've lived a good life
I've got no complaints
I'd like to thank farmer keep
For bringin' me scraps of food that I could eat
He always had a smile on his face
He didn't want to think of this day
It's finally here
It's finally here

They called me pig
They called me pig

When I was a baby, I was so happy
I played with my friends in the mud

Now promise me you'll go out and buy a copy of The Red Album in support of Weezer's animal-friendly lyrics (and their two vegetarian band mates). Thanks, Weezer, for taking on the plight of animals through your songs.

—Jen

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

Veterinarian Paul Armbrecht during testimony in which he asserted that hanging animals from a forklift does not constitute cruelty

If you live in Iowa, make sure you don't take your animals to a guy named Dr. Paul Armbrecht for a checkup. With a straight face and a full wallet (the good doctor was paid for his troubles), Dr. Armbrecht recently testified under oath that strangling pigs to death by hanging does not constitute cruelty to animals. In part due to this "expert" testimony from Dr. A., three hog farmers who were accused in a high-profile case of torturing pigs were let off with a slap on the wrist.

During an undercover investigation conducted by the Humane Farming Association at Wiles Hog Farm in Creston, Ohio, employees were caught killing sows by fastening a chain around their necks and attaching it to a front-end loader, which was hoisted into the air, strangling the animals to death over a period of four to five minutes. In addition to testifying that this was a reasonable form of "euthanasia," the doctor opined that Wiles Farm's practice of dragging, kicking, and dropping sows off a 4-foot ledge was an acceptable method of transporting the animals to their deaths.

Along with five other major animal protection organizations, we have asked the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association to immediately investigate this pathetic excuse for a veterinarian. The Iowa Veterinary Practice Act explicitly prohibits "knowingly making misleading, deceptive, untrue, or fraudulent representation in the practice of the profession," and if his testimony is shown to have violated this clause, we're asking them to immediately revoke his vet's license.

As PETA VP Bruce Friedrich puts it, "Dr. Armbrecht's testimony directly contradicts industry guidelines, which provide only the bare minimum of protection for animals. Giving the okay to a killing method that causes animals to slowly strangle to death makes Dr. Armbrecht a disgrace to the veterinary profession, and it opens the door for even more widespread abuse of animals."

It's a little tough to watch, but here's some video footage of the practices that Dr. Armbrecht recently defended as being "humane."

Please click here to contact the Iowa Vet Board about this issue now.

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A bit of a slow news day today, folks, except for the fact that George Clooney's pig—Max, the Star—has shuffled off this mortal coil at the ripe old age of 18. "It's strange how animals become part of your family," George told the press. "They really become a big issue with you." George will not be looking for a replacement for Max, the Star, though. As he put it, "I think Max covered all my pig needs." I feel like there's some good stuff that could be said at this juncture about adopting animals from shelters and about not eating bacon, but, I dunno, you probably get the idea. Anyway, RIP George Clooney's pig.

Speaking of Hogs, the Washington Redskins blew a 14-point lead yesterday to lose to the Atlanta Falcons at home, 24-14.

Being a Redskins fan is like being in an abusive relationship—I give them so much love and support, and all I get in return is heartbreak. They can still technically go to the playoffs though, if they win all the rest of their games, so you can be sure that I'll be back next week for more abuse.

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