PETA Global 2019 Issue 1

Canine Blood Banks: An Unnecessary Sacrifice

Photo frame: © iStock.com/blackred

More Wool Horrors – PETA Campaigns Against Forever 21 EXPOSED AGAIN

By Alisa Mullins Senior editor in the PETA Foundation’s Written Communications Department

Cramped crates prevent dogs from fully extending their legs when lying down.

A s I write this, my retired racing greyhound, Jasper, is sprawled on the couch “roaching” – lying on his back, tongue lolling out, legs sticking up in the air – something that greyhounds love to do for reasons no one has yet figured out. Thankfully, he’s not at Hemopet, a massive canine blood bank in Garden Grove, California, that PETA recently investigated. The greyhounds there don’t get to do much roaching, if any. Many are confined to cramped, barren crates for up to 23 hours a day. Hemopet claims that these dogs are well cared for. Really? Try sitting in a crate measuring 3 feet by 4 feet (less than 1 meter by 1.25 meters) for 23 hours. Would your screaming joints agree that dogs should be confined like that for 18 months or more? Add to that having to endure being jabbed in the neck with a needle every 10 to 14 days so that 10% or more of your blood can be extracted, the very reason you’re being kept there. Not only are such conditions uncomfortable, veterinarians like Dr. Christine Capaldo, who consulted on the case, also express concern that drawing blood so frequently can cause anemia and “poses a threat to the health and psychological well-being of the donor.” To hear Hemopet tell it, caging dogs and extracting their blood is the only way to save other dogs who need blood. But that’s not true. Many blood banks work with large dogs who come in once in a while with their loving guardians for a quick blood draw, after which they get a treat and go right back home. Some organizations hold blood drives with “bloodmobiles,” similar to the American Red Cross blood drives for humans. Veterinary clinics may also ask for donations on a case-by-case basis.

The National Greyhound Association (NGA) said that it had barred its members from sending dogs to blood banks after a 2017 PETA exposé revealed horrific abuse at a Texas blood-collection facility that has since closed. Yet a loophole still allows NGA members’ greyhounds to go to Hemopet: The cruel company claims to be a “rescue,” because after dogs are caged and exploited for over a year, they’re eventually put up for adoption. But placement in a loving, permanent home should occur immediately upon retirement from the track, not after being nearly bled dry. Take Action Now Ask your vet to use blood drawn only from dogs living in homes, not cages. Visit PETA.org/Hemopet to urge the NGA to bar members’ dogs from being held captive in blood banks.

A s shearers race against the clock, they lose their temper over small delays and often take out their frustration on the terrified, struggling sheep – dragging them by the leg, punching and kicking them, slamming them to the floor, and worse.

Holes were punched in lambs’ ears, and their tails were cut and burned off with a hot knife – and no painkillers.

affiliates have repeatedly revealed that the abuse of sheep is entrenched in the global wool industry.

Take Action Now Visit PETA.org/Never21 to urge retail giant Forever 21 to stop selling wool.

But the abuse doesn’t start in the shearing sheds.

A PETA Asia eyewitness worked on a sheep farm in Victoria, Australia – the world’s largest wool exporter – and found the farm manager and workers mutilating terrified lambs in assembly line fashion. This wasn’t a case of a few “bad apples.” The mutilations are standard procedure in the industry. Holes were punched in lambs’ ears, and their tails were cut and burned off with a hot knife – and no painkillers – causing them to writhe in agony as flames shot up from their flesh. Workers castrated male lambs by placing tight rings around their scrotums so that their testicles would eventually shrivel up and fall off. If they don’t fall off as expected, shearers just cut them off with clippers. Chunks of skin and flesh were also cut off lambs’ hindquarters with shears in a crude attempt to address problems caused by breeding them to produce excessive amounts of wool. These mutilations took place in full view of the mother sheep. After the terrifying procedure, the lambs were dropped to the ground on their bloody wounds, and they cried out and ran in search of their frantic mothers amid the flock.

Olstead, Cammie Scott, and Harley Quinn Smith – who have a combined Instagram following of over 8 million! – as well as Meg and Komie Delikate Rayne for a new vegan fashion campaign. Watch the video at PETA.org/GameChangers . Ready to Wear Vegan? Instead of wool, choose warm and cozy cotton flannel or polyester fleece. Leather-free options Vora of trendsetting womenswear brand

Red tape: © iStock.com/spxChrome • Torn paper: © iStock.com/yasinguneysu

Repeated blood draws can leave dogs anemic.

Changing the Game The good news is that everywhere you look, fashion is changing for the better – and fast. Consumers and designers increasingly understand that whenever animals are considered mere commodities to be turned into wool coats or leather boots, abuse is inevitable. To help promote kinder choices, PETA teamed up with vegan stars and influencers Jenné Claiborne, DΔWN, Evanna Lynch, Yovana Mendoza, Daniella Monet, Mýa, Renee

include waxed canvas and vegan leather made from recycled plastic bottles. Innovative vegan options – such as leather made from pineapple leaves and cork, wool made from hemp and bamboo blends, and down made from plant sugars and eucalyptus – are on the rise, and more are being developed all the time.

Clear your closet of cruelty. Visit PETA.org/WearVegan to start wearing vegan today.

Rescued Jasper “roaching.”

But Australia isn’t alone: PETA and its international

Global 11

10 A WHOLE NEW EWE