Tiny Spends Her First Night Indoors and 20 Other Fieldwork Moments

(Warning: graphic images)

While many folks sat around fires and dinner tables on Christmas Eve eating, drinking, and being merry, PETA fieldworkers were busy delivering food, straw, and toys to children and dogs in need. Our clients were especially delighted to see fieldworkers out during the holidays, and to be honest, our team wouldn’t have had it any other way. Helping people and animals in ways such as giving this sweet girl some Christmas Eve lovin’ …

… or giving this pup a ball to play with …

… or providing these deserving kids with coloring books …

… makes our day just as much as it makes theirs. Animals who are left outside in the cold without food, water, or companionship don’t get a day off—so neither do we.

Here’s What Else PETA Fieldworkers Were Up to in December

As in every other month, many dogs and cats were spayed or neutered. We helped transport cats like Marshmellow …

… and dogs like Envy …

… B.J. …

… Scooby …

… Smokey and Bandit …

… as well as Lady …

… to spay/neuter appointments for free. Without such sterilization services, these animals could reproduce and bring many more dogs and cats into lives of misery. Lady, for example, had already birthed one litter of unwanted puppies.

Dozens of “backyard dogs” also benefitted from PETA’s doghouse program in December. Before PETA fieldworkers visited Tipsy, for example, her “shelter” was a wire crate with a tarp draped over it.

But thanks to donations from kind PETA members and supporters, we were able to provide this deserving girl with a sturdy, custom-built wooden doghouse.

Fieldworkers were also able to provide sweet but cautious Butch with a PETA doghouse …

… to replace his existing plastic chair/igloo/crate combo …

… prior to North Carolina’s anticipated freezing temperatures. Smooches also received a desperately needed PETA doghouse …

… to replace the plastic garbage can she was using in a futile attempt to escape the cold.

As we do with all our canine clients, PETA will continue checking on Butch and Smooches to ensure their well-being as best we can.

A Few Dogs Got Their Angel Wings

When animal companions require a peaceful end to their suffering, PETA is there to help. In December, we helped Big Boy, a 10-year old cat who’d had a prolapsed rectum for two weeks …

… Chloe, a beloved family dog suffering from cancer, which had resulted in massive ruptured tumors, a lack of appetite, and weight loss …

… Blaze, who was left outside to roam and returned home with a massive, gaping wound to his chest and neck, exposing muscle tissue and organs …

… and Papa, whose testicles had become large and swollen, likely from an aggressive form of cancer:

In all four instances, it was determined that euthanasia was the kindest option and—with the guardians’ consent—PETA provided end-of-life assistance for these animals, free of charge.

Other Dogs Found Their ‘Happily Ever After’

Ralphie, for example, was transferred to the Norfolk SPCA after our fieldworkers secured his relinquishment. Now, the sweet dog won’t be spending winter chained outdoors, alone and at the mercy of the elements.

Our fieldworkers will never forget Tiny, whom we rescued from a backyard pen in rural North Carolina. In the photo below, she can be seen enjoying her first night indoors while at PETA’s shelter. She has since been transferred to the Norfolk SPCA and is available for adoption.

And then there was Whitey, who was penned up (see below) and neglected. In December, he was surrendered to our fieldworkers and transferred to the Norfolk SPCA, where he’s currently available for adoption.

And finally, there’s Raven. Despite spending most of her life indoors, she was chained outside following her senior guardian’s passing—our fieldworkers found her soaking wet, with nothing but a crate to protect her from the elements. She was given to our team and now spends her days with two other dogs rescued by PETA, snoozing indoors.

Another Reason to Celebrate New Year’s Day

Aside from countless spay/neuter surgeries, gifted doghouses, and happily-ever-afters, PETA staffers have found another reason to celebrate: There’s a new tethering ordinance in Halifax County, North Carolina (where our team members visit and help animals daily). After nearly a decade of campaigning, attending meetings, collaborating on drafts, compromising on language, speaking at county commissioner meetings, and more, we’re thrilled to announce that as of January 1, 2020, tethering unattended dogs is illegal in Halifax County, where countless dogs have long languished at the end of chains and tethers.

We worked with the county health department to write, design, and produce an insert that was distributed in more than 8,000 water bills. We also secured highly visible billboards on the interstate that goes through the county:

We’re hopeful that a domino effect will ensue and nearby jurisdictions will follow suit—and that this ordinance will prompt relief for countless lonely dogs.

You Can Make a Difference for Animals, Too!

Do our fieldworker heroes inspire you? Well, there’s good news: We’re looking for a highly motivated person to be a fieldworker working out of the Sam Simon Center—our Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters. We’re eager to find someone who can help animals by responding to calls from residents of North Carolina and Hampton Roads, Virginia, seeking assistance with various animal-related issues.

Are you the person animals in need have been waiting for?

Click the link below to view the fieldworker job post, see the full list of responsibilities and qualifications, and apply.