The happy cow myth

When you talk about being brainwashed, the happy dairy cow comes to mind for me. The commercials on tv make them look happy to be giving up their milk, but reality is FAR different.

My question is...how "happy" would you be if you were forced to constanly be pregnant so your body could produce milk and everytime you had your baby, it was immediately taken away and either put in a small little crate only to be slaughtered in a few months as veal (never to be seen by its mother again) or forced to live its life like you and then when it was "spent", it was sent to be killed, just like you?? Is that "happy"?? Many words come to mind, but "happy" is not one of them...

The dairy industry would like us all to believe that we need milk, but reality is...we don't. My question to you is..why are we the only animal who drinks the milk of another species? Women produce milk when pregnant just like cows do. Don't you think there's a reason for that?

photo courtesy of CARE and the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project

Farm Sanctuary's Virtual Experience

Farm Sanctuary has an amazing new display on their website that shows what goes into meat and egg production. Most people just don't want to know. Ignorance is bliss...I guess...even if it's also hurting one's own health. Please check it out for some insight into what the food industry doesn't want people to know...after all, aren't cows and chickens happy living on the farm waiting to be slaughtered???

Farm Sanctuary Virtual Experience

My Letter To The Editor of The Village Voice

http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-02-18/news/is-foie-gras-torture/2


After reading Sarah Digregorio's piece on foie Gras, I had to sit back and collect my thoughts for a few hours, as I basically had to calm myself down from the sickness that people call "humanity". I am a person who believes that every being on this planet has a right to live and not be tortured, and despite her "findings", I still believe that this barbaric process is cruel. Just because she says that she never found any of the gruesome things that she has seen in the video footage, does NOT mean that this is not a cruel practice and should not clear one's consciousness to continue eating this "delicacy". Sticking a tube down an animal's throat and force-feeding IS cruel. Receiving the information that "ducks naturally do a certain amount of gorging" doesn't justify sticking a tube down their throat. People do a lot of natural (or unnatural, depends on how you want to look at it) gorging, too. Should we stick a tube down their throats?? We are supposed to be better than this, as most people would say that we are the "superior" beings on this planet. Well, if this is true, isn't it time that we start acting responsibly? Shame on Ms. Digregorio for what I feel is spreading the word that it is okay to eat foie gras because one farm has shown her that it isn't what you see in the video footage that's been spread around.

How long, Ringling Bros.??

So, Ringling Bros. might finally get in trouble for all of their years of elephant abuse? I guess you can only deny it for so many, many years...

Unfortunately, the "performing" elephants are poked with metal rods to get them to be obedient because that's the only way they will listen. One day, I pray, a circus will be a place where kids and their parents can go to see PEOPLE who are willing of their own free will to perform for them and not some poor, innocent animals who were stolen from the wild for man to profit. How is this humane?

Ringling Bros. thinks that animal rights activists are on a "crusade" to do away with having circus animals...DUH..anyone with feelings should want that. Don't they see the success of Cirque du soleil, without using animals in their shows?

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ringling4-2009feb04,0,3570172.story

Pet Shops and Puppy Mills

There is a pet shop by my house that sells lots of dogs and cats. They seems to have an endless supply. There are always new, cute, little puppies in the window, trying to lure people in to buy one. Unfortunately, the reality is this....
These dogs are from puppy mills, places that are dog-breeding factories for big profit. Now, the sad reality here is that millions of dogs are euthanized EVERYDAY in shelters because there are not enough homes for them and these places are selling animals, taking homes from ones that are already here and desperately need homes. Now, is this "compassionate"?
So you say, "well, I want a purebred and they don't have them at the pound". Well, my friend, there are rescue groups for just about every dog breed out there and on top of that, it most likely won't even cost you as much as buying a dog at a pet store. To add to that, these puppy mills get busted all of the time because they don't take care of these animals and they get really sick, so you could be buying that, too!
Dogs are man's best friend and don't deserve this. My dogs have all been rescues and I wouldn't change that for a million bucks! Rescue dogs are more prone to be better pets/friends because they tend to appreciate what they have.

http://stoppuppymills.org/inside_a_puppy_mill.html

What about cats you might ask...well, they are not immune to this cruelty either (and I am sure that everyone has seen stray cats at one time or another...).

http://www.professorshouse.com/pets/cats/kitten-mills.aspx