Tag Archives: animal advocacy

Utopia

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Hello, hello! It has been a long time since I have written a post. I’ve shared with you many times on how I don’t feel it’s a good thing to force out a post just to write. I want to write when I actually have something to say. With that said, this still may turn out to be a post of many random thoughts.

There isn’t any one thing that has happened lately and I typically get my inspiration to write something from actual events. There are however, many other things such as thoughts I have on a regular basis. Like I wonder if I am the only one who sees the deceased animal on the side of the road or the trucks full of pigs or cows drive by on the highway and gets a tear in my eye. To me they are a life that has or will be taken away. Or I see a “working dog” in a store and all I can wonder is if their needs are being met. It’s great they can have a job and help but are their needs being met, including feeling loved. Is it being considered that they are feeling beings too.

I will never forget many years ago my mom saying to me that I want to live in Utopia. You know what, she may be right! This actually can be a good or bad thing. On one hand, we should always be striving to make an impact and make the world a better place. I’ll always advocate for animals as well as for people to treat other people with kindness. On the other hand, the Utopia expectations can make you feel let down all of the time. Because things aren’t the way I think they should be I become angry. The key is probably to be somewhere in the middle.

Around those times of trying to make an impact and becoming angry at the world, I feel it’s a good idea to spend time in things we enjoy doing to take a break from those Utopia expectations. I enjoy doing crafty/artsy things and lately watching Lifetime movies (what is about these predictable movies that pull you in?!).

While we may not live in Utopia, we can always work at being a little closer to it.

Now an update on things with me. I am still going to be having a fundraiser for animals but it is taking much longer than I expected to get it started. In the meantime, I have been drawing & painting some. The bee in this post is one of my new characters. Not too long ago I did an animal empathy lesson with some school age children where I had them all sign a kindness pledge and we made donation boxes to collect items for an animal shelter. I also have been enjoying the great weather and spending time with family & friends. Some relatives visited this summer all the way from Norway. And just recently I am looking into getting a Cricut. Anyone have one?

Hope you’re all doing good. Thanks for stopping by!

Be Open to Other Views

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At times, I find myself reevaluating my approach/beliefs about animals/advocacy after conversations where people are questioning or challenging me. My first reaction when I feel I am being challenged or criticized regarding my love for animals and advocacy for them is to get mad and defensive and tell them that they are wrong. I’m sure that’s a common reaction to anyone who feels challenged about something they feel strongly about. It does get your goat🐐 and it’s hard to forget the conversation. But then I remind myself that sharing thoughts and beliefs (and facts) is how we learn from one another. The other person may even teach you something. 😁

 

I haven’t changed my mind about advocating but I did stop and think about a few things I could do differently.

So, my friends please remember to always be open to listen another’s point of view, to be respectful, and be kind. Noone wants to listen to a

 

Fundraiser Coming Soon

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It’s been a while so I wanted to say hello! I’m on a new journey so I haven’t been posting much on my blog. But I can’t wait to share the products I’ll soon have available for a fundraiser to help animals. Please say hello back! Since blogging can require regular posting to stay connected with others, it would be nice to see who is still out there. I hope you’re all doing well.

HAPPINESS MONTH

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I just found out that August is “Happiness” month and I love that! The truth is those of us who fight for animals can struggle with being “happy” when there is so much cruelty going on.

Anyone who works to help the less fortunate does incredibly hard work. But when the less fortunate are so unfortunate they aren’t even considered by many to be part of society, the toil can feel unbearable.

Taken from the Dodo in a Farm Sanctuary interview

But since August is about “HAPPY” I wanted to focus on that. I made the following video. I hope you enjoy! (Volume up)

Most of us who work in animal advocacy do because we care so much, but you must care for yourself to care for animals.

Taken from Animal Charity Evaluators Roundtable Blog Series

Some suggestions to keep a balanced life is to watch cartoons for a laugh, be with friends & family, and have some enjoyable hobbies.

I will be posting soon the start of a “Let’s Discuss” series. I also am still working on products for sale to raise money for animals in need. Please stay tuned and I hope you’ll participate because this blog isn’t about me, it’s about us all (animals, people, and our society). Thanks!

Cover Photos…What a Pain

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Oh my, oh my…is it just me or are cover photos a royal pain?!

I wanted to change the cover photo on my business Facebook Page because I felt the graphic was outdated. This task turned out to be a nightmare. First, you have to figure out what size to create the graphic as, then you have to know the best way to save the graphic so it doesn’t loose quality when uploaded, then you have to adjust it to fit in the space allotted. Viola! Not so much. You look at it on a desktop and it looks good, then you look at it on a mobile phone and the profile picture circle is covering part of the design on one side and showing more blank space on the right. Back to the drawing board! Blah, blah, blah. Please tell me it’s not just me.

So I finally got it to where it’s satisfactory but if any of you have any tips, please share. Also, if you want me to share some of the things I learned, let me know.

Since I was on a mission to get the new cover photo on Facebook I decided to create a similar graphic for the header/banner on my blog. The other banner had animals that were created by someone else and as cute as they are, it is important to me to have animals on there that were created my moi.

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

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Coming Soon

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Hello all. I hope you and your furry ones are doing well!

I am excited to share that this summer I will have some new graphics that will be available on a variety of products for sale. Any money earned will not be for me. I am doing this to raise money for animals in need. Please stay tuned, keep checking back, and please consider purchasing something for yourself or an animal lover in your life.

Cartoon Drawing Lessons Day 1

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Hello all!

I‘ve been inspired by a few people to get back to animal advocacy through art. This journey of animal advocacy for me has been interesting and everchanging. It started when I started paying attention to some of the things that we as a society do to animals. In disbelief that this is accepted and allowed I knew I had to do something.

When I was learning Web Design one of my assignments was to start a blog. I knew right away that mine would be on animal advocacy. It is the same blog I am using today. From sharing the graphic details to making it a more appealing and positive experience to attempting to create cartoon-like graphics. I’m still figuring it all out.

I am now learning how to actually draw cartoons through tutorials and classes. If any of you have any tips or resources you can share with me, please let me know.

Today is Day 1 and here is my finished cartoon graphic.

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Reaching Out To Say Hi

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Wow, it has been a really long time since I have written a post. I am not sure how many of my followers or fellow bloggers are still out there but if you are, be sure to leave me a comment with a hello! That will help me know who is still around.

I‘m not even sure how this post will turn out. Sometimes you just have so much floating around in your head you don’t even know where to start. When it comes to animals, which is what my blog is about there is just so much heartbreak and disappointment out there, that sometimes I just have to take a break. I see the semi go by me with a bunch of pigs or cows and I can’t bear the thought of their fate. I hear another story about abandoned cats or dogs left on the side of the road or left tied to a tree and all I want to do is cry. I read about a person overdosing and also overdosing their dog and both being found unconscious, and I want to punish the human who did that to an innocent animal. Then there is the fact that there are so many people that don’t understand your heartbreak or anger about these things. But in your soul, you know this is all so wrong. That is what this blogging community is all about. Those of us who do have the compassion and empathy needed to make a difference for animals.

During my break from blogging, I have been exploring some of my other interests. I have been painting a lot and doing a little drawing. I do cartoon type art which is what I like best. I posted a few of them below.

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Sunday Pause (Paws): March 2021

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

We all agree that 2020 and even 2021 have been incredibly challenging years. This month has turned out to be a bugger for me as well. March 1st I fell and injured my ankle pretty badly. I have never had anything quite like this happen and it has been very challenging. I tried for the first few weeks to go on with life as normal but it wasn’t working. I was struggling in many ways and the demands of life can make you feel pressured. Now I am concentrating on getting better and making that the priority.

My birthday was last Sunday and there wasn’t much celebrating because of my injury and not being able to get together due to the pandemic. But I received gifts and cards in the mail along with a number of phone calls and messages. My mom also dropped off some goodies and gifts for me.❤️ One of the gifts was a wreath I have been wanting for months that I found on Etsy. Here is a picture of the wreath as I opened it up. It’s still in the box and after checking it over thoroughly, it is also Cino approved.

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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!