Virginia and North Carolina residents have been facing rising temperatures—but in April, May, and June, PETA’s Community Animal Project (CAP) fieldworkers brought a little heat of their own. For four-legged locals like Brooklyn, Hymie, Ivy, and Miracle (below), our field team’s support proved vital. Keep reading to learn more about the ways CAP kept breaking the chain this quarter, plus how generous folks like you help our rescue team provide animals with the help that they need.
PETA staff and volunteers have been busy helping dogs like Midnight during the increasingly hot weather, ensuring that they have shelter, basic necessities, and all the TLC that we can give.
The Veterinary Staff of Our Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinics Were Busy
Our mobile spay/neuter clinics sterilized thousands of animals throughout April, May, and June, including Kreme (left) and Ivy (right), who were both suffering from painful, dangerous vaginal prolapses. We squeezed them in for emergency spay surgeries and corrected their prolapses free of charge for their grateful guardians. This operation could cost up to $1,500 per animal at a private veterinary clinic—and significantly more on an emergency basis. We also provided Ivy and Kreme with free transport to and from their surgeries. After Hymie was diagnosed with a testicular tumor, his guardian called PETA for help with the cost of surgery. Our mobile clinic staff neutered Hymie and removed his tumor for a nominal donation—a fraction of what it would have cost elsewhere. We transported Blue for free to and from her no-cost spay appointment.
We Transferred a Number of Rescued Animals to High-Traffic, Open-Admission Shelters
There, they’ll have a chance at finding the permanent and loving adoptive homes and families they’ve always deserved.
Thanks to our fieldworkers’ persistence, Dior, who was suffering from a rectal prolapse, was given to PETA and transferred to the SPCA in Norfolk, Virginia, where she got the care that she needed before being put up for adoption. Our determination also paid off when we secured relinquishment of fieldworker favorite Psycho, who couldn’t possibly have a less appropriate name. This young dog had been chained his whole life until we transferred him to the SPCA in Virginia Beach, Virginia, for a chance at adoption. We also transported this sweet mother hound and her newborn puppies from the rural Danville Area Humane Society in Virginia to the high-traffic Virginia Beach SPCA, where they’d have a better chance at adoption after weaning. All the puppies have since been adopted!
Searching for a New Best Friend?
Check out our in-house list of animals who are ready for a loving, permanent home.
Jaxon came to PETA when his guardian was preparing to move and couldn’t take him with her. After spending several weeks with a foster family, he was adopted into a loving home. We also rescued four chickens who had previously been kept in a small, filthy pen (left). After spending a night at our shelter, they were adopted by a family with other chickens rescued by PETA (right).
Thanks to CAP and our kind members and supporters, Jaxon and these chickens—as well as Georgie and Pearl—have already found loving families. You can visit PETA.org/Adoptable now to meet a few others who are still in search of their new best bud.
CAP Fieldworkers Help People Keep and Care for Their Animals
One of the hundreds of requests for assistance that we received this quarter was for Percy, who was stuck in a tree in the caller’s backyard (left). We worked with a professional tree climber to bring him safely back to the ground, and we located his guardian, who was very happy to have him back (right). We also gave a new wooden doghouse to Miracle, who’d previously had nothing but a plastic crate covered with a tarp, which offered little protection from the weather.
As temperatures rose dangerously, our staff and volunteers continued helping animals like Brooklyn by ensuring that they had access to fresh water, food, and shade to help protect them from the sun. This quarter, we also provided animals with treatment for biting flies, fleas, and other parasites; trimmed nails; repaired doghouses; and replaced short, heavy chains with 15-foot, lightweight tie-outs.
In Norfolk and Its Surrounding Areas, PETA Put the Power of the Written Word to Work
Through our Barks & Books program, PETA distributes children’s books with animal-friendly themes to kids we meet in the field and at our spay/neuter clinics. Here, a young reader is captivated by the story of Sprig the Rescue Pig.
PETA Offers Free End-of-Life Services
We believe that every guardian, regardless of their means, should be able to ensure that their animal friends remain comfortable until the very end. That’s why we provide free end-of-life services for animals like Leo and Vivo.
Leo’s guardian came to PETA after first trying to get help from five different veterinary clinics and shelter agencies. Leo had had a stroke and was suffering from frequent seizures, and he constantly cried out in pain. His guardian requested that he be euthanized and stayed with him until the end. Vivo was one of a number of animals we euthanized at no cost to those who couldn’t afford this vital service at a private veterinary clinic. “What PETA does here is amazing!” Vivo’s grateful guardian wrote in a sweet note.
Our volunteers—as well as kind donors like you—are the reason why we’re able to offer vital assistance to animals in need in Virginia and North Carolina. You can make a difference for animals in your community, too, including by taking these five simple steps:
Visit your local shelter to adopt instead of buying animals from breeders or pet stores.
Always spay and neuter your animal companions.
Keep animals indoors—remember, they’re part of the family.
Provide animals with love and security and always treat them like the loved ones they are.
If you see an animal companion being kept outside in illegal conditions—without food, water, shelter, or shade—notify local authorities immediately.
To learn more about the ways PETA is making the world a more compassionate place for animal companions, check out Breaking the Chain—watch it on Prime Video:
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