Be An Animal Hero!
There are loads of ways you can help the non-human animals that share our planet!
Some people start foundations - for example the Soi Dog Foundation ("soi" is Thai for "street") in Phuket.
My friend Renee fosters rescued dogs waiting for their forever home through Sydney Animal Rescue and 4 Paws Rescue.
Not everyone has the resources to do the above, but we can ALL do something - no matter how small.
"I
am an Animal Rescuer.
My work is never done.
My home is never quiet.
My wallet is always empty,
but my heart is always full."
- author unknown.
To Start You Off, Here Are Some Inspirational Words
The following quotes are from the book Jivamukti Yoga by Sharon Gannon and David Life (Yogis and animal activists):
"…there's not really much difference between the hero and the coward: they both feel the same fears and anxieties. The hero acts in spite of these fears and anxieties, however, whereas the coward turns away from action. The cultural hero seeks to break the chains of his or her culture's particular illusions; the coward lives in denial."
"Cultural heroes [defy] what the culture tells them they must do to be happy. They choose instead to do what they believe is just."
And Now Some Ideas Of What YOU Can Do
A book you'll definitely want to
read is
Striking
At The Roots:
A Practical Guide To Animal Activism
by Mark Hawthorne.
It's is an easy-to-read guide to all
aspects of
being an Animal Hero.
Feed Needy Animals With A Click (At No Cost To You!)
Go daily to The Animal Rescue Site and click on the purple button to give food to an animal living in a shelter - at no cost to you.
Become A Billboard For Animal-Friendly Causes
Most animal organisations have merchandise that advertises their causes, so check out what they offer by way of clothing, hats, bumper stickers, fridge magnets, etc.
I love to use my wardrobe to help animals, but if that's not your style your car or bag can be the billboard instead of you.
During the Festive Season,
always remind
others that
a companion animal is
FOR LIFE, and
not just for Xmas!
Go To Events That Raise Money For Animal Organisations
For example, in Australia, Edgar's Mission holds celebrations every October for World Animal Day.
Desexing: The Best Thing For Your Companion Animal
Every year, all around the world, millions upon millions of abandoned animals end up in shelters, and at least half are euthanised because there simply aren't enough homes for them all. You can be part of the solution by desexing your companion animal and therefore not adding to the overpopulation.
Report Animal Cruelty
Animals can't pick up a phone and report cruelty themselves. It's up to us be their voice, so if you suspect that an animal is being neglected or abused, report it.
To
conceal cruelty is to increase it.
Instead, decrease cruelty by exposing the truth.
Be an Animal Hero and report
animal abuse or neglect.
Don’t just sit on your hands and pretend that you can’t do anything about it: you can do something. There are authorities that can step in, so report it and then follow up to see what was done. Complaints are confidential, and the authorities know that this confidentiality is of major importance in encouraging people to make the reports in the first place, so be assured they'll keep your identity secret.
You MUST speak for the voiceless animals that are being neglected or abused. It's your duty as an Animal Hero.
Making Animal-Friendly Donations
Donate To Organisations That Help Animals In Need
Besides that obvious donation of time and/or money, you can also regularly gather and donate the following items to your local shelter:
- Blankets
- Towels
- Tea towels
- Newspapers
- Garbage bags
- Plastic bags
"Non-violence leads to the highest
ethics,
which is the goal of all evolution.
Until we stop harming all other living
beings
we are still savages."
- Thomas Edison (scientist, inventor).
Only Donate To Charities That Are Cruelty-Free
When you want to donate to a charity, pick one that's cruelty-free - that is, one that doesn't experiment on animals.
Always double-check by looking on the Humane Charities list because you'd be surprised at both how many and which charitable organisations torture animals thorugh vivisection (animal testing).
"Unseen the suffer,
Unheard they cry,
In agony they linger,
In loneliness they die
...The victims of vivisection."
- author unknown.
From Animals Australia:
"Animal experimentation and the invasive use of animals for teaching, is inherently wrong. The use of animals in research and teaching is more about tradition and history than it is about science. Animals Australia is not opposed to scientific progress, but we are opposed to the use of animals in the pursuit of that progress."
- Humane Charities list of which charities don't test.
- PETA's list of companies that do and don't test.
- Choose Cruelty-Free's list of companies who don't test.
Buy Art To Donate To Animal Organisations
If you're an art-lover, my friend Faye donates 100% of the proceeds of some of her works to animal charities. Go to Faye Leister art for animals to view her work.
Got No Spare Money? Then Donate Your Time To Help Animals!
All you need is a few hours a week to get your your local shelter and walk a homeless dog.
Living Cruelty-Free
Cruelty-Free Products
Find cruelty-free body care, hair care, clothing and household products by doing an internet search using the key words "vegan products" and you'll find everything you need. "Vegan" implies that there are no animal ingredients within the product, and that the product itself was not tested on animals.
"We can't stop all suffering, but that doesn't
mean we
shouldn't stop any. Our wish is for
all
people to act wisely and mercifully
toward
animals.
We support compassion for all
animals, even
the most
curious, smallest, and
least sympathetic
ones. We hope that everyone
will take inspiration
from Nobel Peace Prize
winner Dr. Albert
Schweitzer, who
believed that
even insects were
deserving of compassion and
who would stop
to
move a worm from hot
pavement to cool earth.
Aware of the problems
and responsibilities that
go
along with an
expanded ethical code, Schweitzer
said that we
each must 'live daily from judgement
to judgement, deciding each case as it arises,
as wisely and
mercifully as we can.' "
- from a blog by
PETA
(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
Cruelty-Free Products And Investments
Invest your money in a way that doesn't harm animals by doing an internet search for "vegan investments".
Cruelty-Free Eating
Not supporting the brutality of farming and killing animals by adopting a vegan diet is a powerful way to show your compassion for animals.
For me, it dawned on me in this way: I asked myself what I'd do if there were suddenly no farm animals to eat. Would I then kill, skin, cook and eat my dogs? The answer was a loud and clear: "no!". So, from that point I decided that I'd love all animals and eat none of them. Get the full scoop on my transition to veganism from my 'fit vegans' bio on Robert Cheeke's Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness site.
"If you knew how meat was made,
you'd probably lose your lunch."
- k.d. lang (musician).
The website Easy VEGetariAN gives tips on going vegan.
Happy Cow has thousands of listings in over 100 countries to help you find vegan food wherever you go.
Vegan Outreach answers some frequently asked questions about the vegan lifestyle.
You can also order a free vegan starter kit to begin your journey to a cruelty-free lifestyle.
"Like the victims of
the Holocaust,
animals are rounded up, trucked
hundreds
of miles
to the kill floor and
slaughtered.
Comparisons to the Holocaust
are not
only
appropriate but inescapable."
- Isaac Bashevis Singer
(Jewish Nobel
Prize winner).
I suggest that you read the following books:
-
VEGetariANism by Bodhipaksa
-
Skinny Bitch and Skinny Bastard by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
-
But You Kill Ants by John Waddell
- The World Peace Diet by Dr Will Tuttle
- Yoga And VEGetariANism by Sharon Gannon
Animals are not ours to
eat.
Animals are not ours to wear.
Animals are not ours to experiment on.
Animals are not ours to use for entertainment.
Animals are not ours to abuse in any way.
Be compassionate to ALL
animals: go vegan!
Me, the walking billboard, wearing a paws cap from the
RSPCA shop.
Here I'm wearing a singlet from
Choose Cruelty-Free.
As an animal advocate there are many ways you can help animals including
wearing animal-friendly and cruelty-free messages on your clothing.
Telling the world that my dog is a rescue (both my dogs are actually
rescues!) with a t-shirt from
PETA's shop helps to
spread the message to "adopt, don't shop".
Jasmin, a rescue dog
herself - on the far right
in an orange coat - is running to promote
Jack Russel Rescue at Petfest 2007. (And, yes, she won the race!)
Desexing your companion
animal is an essential part of being a responsible animal guardian. Above is my dog, Jake,
just after being adopted from the
RSPCA. Like all dogs
adopted from shelters, Jake
had been desexed - you can see the shaved fur on his right front leg where
they administered anaesthetic for the operation.
This maimed dog shows the reality of animal testing (or vivisection): it's
outright animal torture. Be cruelty-free and buy products NOT tested on animals. When shopping for cleaning
products, make up and bodycare products, look for words like: "vegan" and
"certified cruelty-free" to be sure you're not supporting animal testing by
your purchase.
Have a look at the
documentary film Earthlings to get the full scoop of how you can make
a difference
to the furry, feathered and finned friends that share our planet.
Fur, leather, suede,
wool, sheepskin, silk and feathers all involve cruelty to animals. There are
loads of non-animal-based alternatives to the above products, so it's easy
to wear cruelty-free clothes.
The meat, dairy, eggs and honey
industries are all terribly cruel to animals. Eating cruelty-free food
(grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds) is easy, healthy, delicious,
and kind to animals.
Teach your kids compassion
towards animals via Faye Leister's book
Animals & Us. Click here for
Animals & Us free downloads.
"Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will
not himself find peace." - Albert Schweitzer
(Nobel Peace Prize winner).
A vegan planet is one where
ALL beings are treated with kindness and respect.