Category Archives: Animal rights

Sunday Pause (Paws): Conversations Require True Listening

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It’s Sunday! Time time kick back & relax. Maybe make a Sunday feast, watch a movie, or just have a good conversation with someone.

Most of the time my posts come from something that occurred during the week. There hasn’t been much occurring so it’s been harder to write posts. I suppose we can blame it on the pandemic because we haven’t been getting out and doing things. But I have been working out in the field this entire time and the other day I had a conversation with a coworker that prompted this post.

I was filling in for a teacher so she could take her break. It was lunch time for the kids. Lunch was hamburgers, vegetables, and fruit. The other teacher asked me “are you vegetarian or vegan?” I answered “vegetarian on the way to vegan.” He asked what I meant by that. I told him I am having a hard time giving up cheese and that I need to work on finding other products to use as a binder instead of eggs. He said “if they’re raised and cared for right and treated humanely it shouldn’t be a problem, but that is the problem they aren’t.” I replied “yes, they aren’t.” He then said “you could raise your own chickens so you can raise them humanely.” I replied “it’s not just about raising them humanely. I truly believe that God did not create animals just so we can slaughter them and harm them. I know that’s seen as normal but Continue reading →

Sunday Pause (Paws): Thoughts On Speaking Up

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It’s Sunday! Time to kick back and relax.

Relaxing sometimes means more thinking. One thing I think about often during these trying times our world has been going through this past year is animals.

I‘m not sure why I remembered something from years ago but it is what prompted this post. I was visiting a friend who has children and a dog & cat. While I was there one of the children and the cat came into the room. The child was kind of picking at/pestering the cat and so the cat scratched the child. The child was of course upset by that and then swung his leg very hard and kicked the cat. I did a loud shocked noise and said “don’t kick your cat!” My friend told her child to stop but then looked at me and said “well the cat shouldn’t have scratched him.” I was appalled.

Being who I am and how I feel about animals I knew I had to speak up. Continue reading →

It’s Not Enough

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You know it really gets to me when someone says all a pet needs is some food & water and they’re fine. Although it is true that they will most likely will be fine physically what people forget to think about is how they feel. To know how they feel all we have to do is listen.

That’s really the whole point of animal advocacy, animal empathy, and love for animals. It’s putting yourself in their shoes and paying attention to what they are trying to communicate. I think if everyone took the time to do that we would see that just throwing some food & water at them is not enough.

Animals are living, breathing beings just as we are. They, as we do, have a life and that life is Continue reading →

Sunday Pause (Paws): Kicking Back, Chillin’

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It’s Sunday! Time to kick back and relax.

Cozying up by a fire and taking a nap in a hammock is not just for humans. 🙂

Relaxing by a cozy fire
With a buddy by your side
Is a great way to enjoy
The colder weather outside

Kicking back, chillin’ on a hammock Continue reading →

Sunday Pause (Paws): Let The Word Search Begin

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It’s Sunday! Time to kick back and relax.

One of the things I have always found very relaxing and enjoyable is a Word Search puzzle. I am pretty good and can get them done pretty quickly. There have even been times when myself and someone else competed to see who could find all the words first. I think I won every time. 🙂

Well I created my very first Word Search and I am sharing it today. It is not an online interactive one except for you may be able to do so with the PDF version. I have a link for that below. Otherwise you will need to print it out or save the image and use a drawing app or something. I suppose there is always the option of just finding the words while having the puzzle open on your screen and just not marking them.

Since this is my first puzzle I would really appreciate Continue reading →

It’s About It All

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What is my purpose to this blog, to animal advocating?

It’s not about experimenting on animals. It’s not about pets being neglected and abused. It’s not about the horrors of factory farming. It’s not about dog fighting. It’s about ALL of it!

In this world, animals are thought of as “less” than us. Less worthy, less important, and only here for humans. That is an easy way to think about it. One that holds us to no responsibility for how we treat them.

I believe God created animals as he also created us, and that he gave us the responsibility to care for them. That is what “dominion over” means. If we were to sit down in front of God and ask him if he approves of how the world treats them, how we are caring for them, what would he say? In my heart I just can’t believe he would say “job well done.”

If we were suppose to kill them for food, use them to experiment on, and so on, why would he create them with feelings? They feel pain, fear, sadness, loneliness, confusion, and worry, just as we do. Why would a God of love accept that?

This isn’t about crazy animal lovers. This is about God’s creation, his commands, our responsibility, and the respect for all life.

So it comes down to this…those of us who help animals do not need to defend ourselves for our empathy and care for all animals, but others do need to explain why they don’t.

Sunday Pause (Paws): Courage

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It’s Sunday! Time to kick back and relax. We can take a break but must never stop.

This past week I was in a conversation with a coworker about why I do animal advocating. I don’t even remember how we got on the topic. I just remember telling her about a video on animal experimentation I watched many years ago. I won’t get into the details but I will say that when I told her one thing I saw them do to a dog she was horrified and said “What?! Why would they do that?!” My response…..”EXACTLY!”

Whatever it is you feel is wrong in the world, stand up, be courageous, and make a change.

Happy Sunday!

It Isn’t “Normal” To Everyone

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From the day we are born we learn about our world by our surroundings. We learn from those around us; our family, friends, peers, teachers, etc. We pick up habits, traditions, and even beliefs from others. But one day we hopefully figure out who we want to be, think for ourselves (not necessarily just following the crowd), and that means we may come to see some things differently than what others may see as “normal.”

Because certain things in our surroundings/society are seen as “normal”, people don’t necessarily think about what they say, assuming everyone feels the same as they do.

An example of this is recently a delivery person who was bringing supplies to my place of employment started talking to me about how he was recently out bear hunting. I immediately tensed up. He went on to give me details about how it wasn’t easy but he got him. He explained how he set the traps and had to travel quite far to pursue him. He was so proud of this. All the while he is telling me this I am thinking “do I tell him I do not want to hear this?” and  “do I tell him that I am an animal advocate and that I care about all living beings?”

Black Bear, Woods, Wild, Wildlife, Outdoors, NatureImage taken from Pixabay

Continue reading →

Sunday Pause (Pause): Be Kind Because Kindness Is A Superpower

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It’s Sunday! Time to kick back, relax, and spread a little kindness.

I came across a video clip talking about kindness and they called it a super power. 

Here is the video:

Everyone could use some of this these days, including animals. Continue reading →

Sunday Pause (Paws): It’s A Matter Of Time

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It’s Sunday! Time to kick back and relax.

The definition of the word “time” when used as a verb is plan, schedule, or arrange when (something) should happen or be done. Obviously we need to go by time to be at work, meetings, appointments, events and so on. But today I am looking at the words “when things should happen.”

I was looking through some old piles of papers, notes, cards, etc. in my office and came across some of the cards I received when my sister suddenly passed away a few years back. For quite a while I couldn’t look at old pictures of her or see her name come up in a Facebook memory without breaking down and crying.  While it still makes me sad, and sometimes I still can’t believe it’s real that she is actually gone, time has begun to heal my heart.

Speaking of my office, it is still a mess. I haven’t done anything in there for a few months or more. But this weekend I decided to try to weed through some more of it. I am taking my time with getting it in order and decorated because I don’t want to rush and just throw things in closets or just anywhere. I want to throw away whatever I can or bring items to Goodwill that I no longer will use. I want it to be somewhat organized so I can utilize things better and have the room and space for plans that I would like to bring to pass for my blog and animal advocacy. Continue reading →