Mariah Carey named Angel for Animals

Mariah Carey is having a great start to the week before Christmas after landing a major animal rights award.

Activists at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have chosen the singer as their 2017 Angel for Animals for helping to shed light on the responsibility of caring for a pet dog.

Carey produced, narrated, and provided the music for All I Want for Christmas Is You, a new animated film that follows the story of a young girl and the homeless hound who fulfills her Christmas wish.

"Mariah Carey is PETA's hero for homeless animals for encouraging families to adopt from their local shelter," says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. "Her holiday film reminds us all that caring for an animal is a responsibility, not just a fantasy - but the one sweet day when you meet the dog who will always be your baby and you know that you belong together."

PETA officials point out that more than six million dogs and cats end up in U.S. animal shelters every year, and half of them have to be euthanised because there aren't enough homes for them all.

A spokesperson for the animal rights group says, "For every cat or dog bought from a pet store or breeder, one in a shelter loses his or her chance of finding a home, and every year after the holidays, animal shelters see a spike in homeless animals as families find themselves unable to care for the puppies and kittens that they purchased as gifts."

Meanwhile, Mariah is also celebrating a U.S. chart first as the song that inspired her new film enters the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the first time since its release in 1994.

According to Billboard, it's the first song featuring the word 'Christmas' to make it into the top 10.