GRRR! Spring/Summer 2001

Summertime Do's and Don'ts This summer, whether you’re at home or on vacation, keep in mind these tips to help animals:

Do crusade for crustaceans! Lobsters and crabs have feelings, too, and suffer horrible deaths when boiled or steamed alive. Send for a supply of our “Being Boiled Hurts!” stickers. Placed on a live lobster tank, they just might make diners reconsider picking out someone to parboil.

Do volunteer to walk the dogs and play with the cats at your local animal shelter. A few minutes of play mean the world to bored pound pu no fishing ps and pussycats.

Don’t bring home living souvenirs. Hermit crabs belong on the beach, not in a tank.

Don’t go fishing. Hooks hurt, and fishing lines are often lost or discarded on the shore, where birds, fish, and marine mammals become entangled in them. Keep your eye out for discarded tackle and throw it in the trash before it kills somebody!

Do put PETA’s free fliers on windshields to warn people not to leave dogs in cars, even in the shade.

Do cut apart six-p no zoo ack rings, and rinse out bottles and cans before recycling or throwing them in the trash can. Animals, attracted by little bits of food or soda, can get their heads stuck in them.

Don’t go to the zoo or aquarium for “fun.” An afternoon’s entertainment for us is a lifetime prison sentence for animals. “Fun” for them is living in their native habitats, not sitting in concrete boxes.

Five Ways to Help Your Dog Beat the Heat

1. Keep her inside! If she has to stay out, make sure she has shade, water, and a kiddie pool. Put her water in a heavy bucket so she can’t tip it over.

2. Bow-wow ... ow! Dogs can get sunburned, too, so keep an eye on areas where hair is thin, like the nose, eyes, and ears.

3. Protect Lucky’s paws from sizzling cement. Walk him in the early morning or late evening, and choose shady, grassy routes.

4. Never leave your dog alone in a car even for a few minutes. Dogs can’t perspire and can die of heat stroke in minutes. If you see an animal left in a car, have the guardians paged (if you are at a store), or call the cops.

5. Be a watchdog for other dogs, too! Make sure “outside dogs” have food, water, and shelter. If you see any dogs in distress, call animal control. Help them right away by giving them water. You might save their lives!

Summer Reading List You won’t mind hitting the books during your summer break when reading about these gutsy girls:

Love Me, Love My Broccoli
by Julie Anne Peters

Her boyfriend or her broccoli? That’s the choice Chloe has to make when her burger-chomping boyfriend tells her to cool it with her animal rights activism. We don’t want to give too much away, but you know that a girl who shuns meat and leather, volunteers at her local shelter, cofounded her school’s animal rights club, and campaigns against animal testing, fur, circuses, zoos, and pet shops—whew!—is gonna do the right thing!

Wild at Heart: Fight for Life
by Lauriee Halse Anderson

When sick puppies start showing up at her grandmother’s veterinary clinic, Maggie suspects that they all came from the same place: a puppy mill. With the help of her friends, Maggie sets out to find the puppy prison—and shut it down. If you’ve ever been tempted by a pet shop pooch, read this book first—then go visit your local animal shelter! To read more about Maggie and her friends’ adventures helping animals, check out the other books in American Girl’s “Wild at Heart” series.

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