Have I told you how amazing you are lately? Why? Because this is what you helped us achieve in 2014...

So thank you for every letter you sent, friend you informed, petition you signed, and rally you attended. You've helped transform the lives of countless animals this year. So I'm just going to leave this here...

If you want to make 2015 even bigger for animals, here are 2 simple ways you can have a big impact:

1. Join the Unleashed Action Team so you can help stand up for animals with us.

2. Try vegan in January to save lives and stop cruelty.

Wow. Such news. One of the internet's favourite memes might never have been if it weren't for the kindness of one lady :)

This is doge, aka Kabosu.

Like many adoring pet owners, (guilty!) Atsuko Sato wanted to share some pictures of her adorable fluffy friend. She posted this pic of Kabuso on her blog, and BOOM! The internet exploded.

Doge became a student;

And pondered the meaning of life.

There was that scary time when we thought doge was lost;

But then she was found. Disguised as a hipster.

Then there was that time that doge made a guest appearance in the Lion King;

And became an international movie star.

I could go on all day. But I reckon out of all the stories doge has helped tell, the best one yet is that of Kabosu's – the dog behind the meme. Just four years ago, Kabosu was saved from death row by Japanese kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato. Kabosu was born onto a puppy factory, where dogs are valued purely for the money they can earn and kindness is in short supply.

Thankfully, the puppy factory closed down but that meant that Kabuso, along with 19 other Shiba dogs were abandoned. Kabuso was one of the lucky ones as she was saved by the kind-hearted teacher :) "She was not loved when she was little, so I want to shower her with love as a member of my family," Sato said.

Very awwwwwwww.

Sato started her blog in 2009 to help raise awareness about puppy farctories and why adopting companion animals is so important. Sato has been pleased by Kabuso's sudden fame. "I want more people to know about animal shelters and puppy mills," she says. Here in Australia, there are more dogs in shelters than there are loving homes for them to go to. Sadly, many will not be as lucky as Kabuso and may be put down. You can help put a stop to this problem in two ways:

Firstly, by pledging to always adopt your companion animals from a shelter, rather than buying from a pet shop. (You never know, your rescue pet might be the new internet sensation.)

And secondly, by spreading doge's message that adoption is awesome:

P.S. Don't worry, Kabuso is not letting the fame get to her head. She'll always be a sucker for a good ol' belly rub :)

This has been a HUGE year for animals. And it wouldn't have been possible without you. :) Celebrate this year's best bits with our year in review vid:

If you shared our campaigns, went to a rally, emailed a politician, handed out flyers, made a pledge against cruelty or did anything else to speak up for animals this year then give yourself a massive high five!

Next year, we'll be keeping up the fight for a better world for animals. To make sure you don't miss any of the action in 2014, join the Unleashed Action Team.

Some of you may have been following the story of Oscar, a small dog kept for breeding on a property in remote Victoria. Found cowering in the back of a small dark cage, Oscar's fur was thick and matted, he had fleas and mites in his infected ears and his teeth were so infected he couldn't eat. He was rescued from this nightmare by a woman named Debra Tranter.

After being treated by a vet, shaved and desexed, he weighed only 1.6kg by the time he got to what should have been his new home. Then in what could have been a scene from a movie, police raided Debra's house in the middle of the night, arrested her, seized Oscar and returned him to the miserable puppy factory.

It was this awful experience that inspired the birth of a nationwide campaign against puppy farms known, as Oscar's Law. While Oscar was again languishing alone in a cage, caring people would keep fighting to save him and the thousands of others like him.

Puppy factories are just like factory farms, only for pets. Dogs are kept in small cages for breeding. They hardly ever get patted, or have their bellies rubbed and they almost never get veterinary treatment. Often living in their own filth, both parents and puppies can suffer from various diseases and illnesses that can often go untreated.

Why do puppy farms exist? People want puppies. It's as simple as that. Most people don't realise that when they buy a puppy from a pet shop or from an ad in the paper, they are usually from these hellholes and the parents are living a life of confinement and misery.

Want to know how you can help?

This Sunday Sep 18th, Oscar's Law is holding rallies across Australia. Deets are confirmed for Melbourne (Parliament House), Sydney (Belmore Park) and Adelaide (Parliament House). All at 12 noon. If you can, please attend and be a voice for the thousands of dogs suffering out of sight.

What else? If you're looking to bring a four-legged friend into the family, then make sure you adopt from a shelter. There are millions of healthy animals in shelters across the country just waiting for a new home. So huge is the dog and cat overpopulation problem in Australia that each hour, 23 dogs and cats are put down just because they haven't been able to find a home. By adopting from a shelter, you not only save the life of an animal in need, you can take your new friend home happy in the knowledge that you haven't contributed to a cruel industry.

Whatever became of Oscar?

In July, Debra donned a disguise and headed back to the dreaded puppy farm after seeing a newspaper ad selling adult dogs. Knowing the cage, she found Oscar straight away, trembling in fear. The puppy farmer considered him "no good" because he had been desexed, so sold him for a "discount price" of $400. Oscar is finally safe and in loving arms!

But Oscar's friends still need us. You and everyone who cares are the animals' hope for an end to their suffering in puppy farms and for safety at last. For more info head to www.OscarsLaw.org. See you on Sunday!

Thanks to Debra Tranter for use of photos

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UPDATE 18/9/11-- Thousands of people attended the rallies for Oscar's Law in a huge show of support for a ban on puppy farms. In Melbourne, the guest of honour was little Oscar himself. Thanks and well done to everyone who helped to send a clear message to our politicians that cruel factory farming of companion animals must end!

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