Mexico is home to the only operating octopus farm in the Western Hemisphere. Right now in Mexico, octopuses are being forced into tanks where more than half die before they ever reach slaughter. Inside octopus farms, they are confined together with no way to escape one another. Researchers report that the stress and aggression inside these tanks is so severe that octopuses attack each other. Arms are torn off. Fresh wounds are left untreated. Some animals are killed and parti

Kiki did not run from anyone. She seemed to believe that being gentle would keep her safe. We found Kiki lying on dusty ground beside stacked bricks at a construction site. The sun was scorching, and she had no shelter. It was not a place any dog should live, but she had nowhere else to go. She had no food or water, and the dirt beside the bricks was the only spot she could lie down. When we approached, Kiki was gentle and friendly. She lifted her head, wagged softly, and a

Vulnerable kittens need protection long before they find a home. Today is National Kitten Day, a day that celebrates kittens while drawing attention to the many young cats still waiting for safety, care, and a home. Nearly half of all cats entering U.S. shelters are kittens, with about 1.58 million admitted in a single year.  Earlier this year, a two-month-old kitten named Elmer was brought to a Texas shelter after he was found covered in glue and close to death. Rescuers sp

Prevention is the best protection against becoming lost. July is Lost Pet Prevention Month, a campaign focused on helping animals stay safe and avoid becoming lost in the first place. An estimated one in three companion animals will go missing during their lifetime. In the U.S. alone, roughly 10 million dogs and cats are reported lost each year. One of those animals was Lola, a dog from Georgia who once saved her family's lives by alerting them to a house fire in the middle o